


Who's Your Mate?

by zarrati



Series: Who's Your Mate Universe [1]
Category: Parks and Recreation
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Online Dating, Soulmates AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-06
Updated: 2016-07-15
Packaged: 2018-05-18 16:24:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 59,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5934994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zarrati/pseuds/zarrati
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It seems that lately only douchey guys are buying what Leslie Knope's selling, so she tries her luck in the world of internet dating. Who knows, maybe she'll find the man of her dreams.<br/>A Soulmates AU where Leslie and Ben meet via an online dating site.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I have no business starting yet another WIP, yet here I am. This is just an intro chapter I guess, and there’ll be more to come for sure.

"Ann, I don’t know. Are you sure about this?”

Leslie’s hand hovered over the mouse and her face was scrunched up in indecision as she stared at the Hoosier Mate profile that her best friend and beautiful relationship adviser Ann Perkins had helped her create. 

Said beautiful best friend sighed. “Leslie, like I told you, it’s totally up to you. If you don’t want to do it then don’t, but I don’t think it’ll be a bad thing for you.”

“But what if this doesn’t work? What if only douchey guys are into me both in real life _and_  online? What if I do all of this and it says that there’s no one in the entire state of Indiana that I’m compatible with and–”

Ann stopped her by reaching out and touching her hand on the desk. “Hey, Leslie, calm down, okay? Everything’s going to be fine. That’s the great thing about online dating. There’s absolutely no pressure. Yeah, maybe some pervy, nasty dudes will send you messages or whatever, but you _don’t_  have to talk to them. Plus, I really think you just need to get back out there. What if it does work and you find the man of your dreams? Or at least some hot guy to go out with a few times and just have some fun.”

Leslie looked back to the screen as the words of her wise and wonderful friend sunk in. “You know what? You’re right. You’re always right, Ann. I don’t know why I ever doubt you and your smart and beautiful brain. What have I got to lose, right?”

Ann smiled and clapped her hands. “Yay! That’s the spirit. Look out, Indiana. Leslie’s single and ready to mingle.”

Leslie let out another deep breath and clicked the button on the mouse to submit her profile. She couldn’t help the nervousness that was sitting like lead in the pit of her stomach, and her eyes closed almost involuntarily as she waited.

The ‘ding’ from the computer told her that her profile had been run and the list of possible matches was made, but she wasn’t ready to open her eyes yet.

Despite what her amazing best friend had told her, there was still that worry that this would be a disaster, and every person she would get matched with would just be awful. 

But she had already done it and there was no use avoiding the inevitable. With one more sigh, she opened her eyes and focused in on her matches.

She didn’t even bother scrolling past the first one. On her screen was the top profile. 98%. Soulmate level match, it said, and at least by the looks of his profile picture, she could have done much, much worse.

He wasn’t terrible, face-wise. Actually, kind of the exact opposite. He had thick, brown hair that looked perfectly tousled, and brown eyes to match. He wasn’t smiling so much as softly smirking, but it worked. He was wearing a darker, plaid-patterned shirt with a solid navy tie, and she wasn’t sure how, but that seemed to work on him, too.

“Well?” she heard her best friend say from the other side of her desk. “Did you get a good match? Are any of them at least kind of cute? I’m dying over here.”

She blinked and tore her focus away from the screen. “Uhm, yeah, I got one “soulmate level match” whatever that means.”

“Oh, wow that’s really good! What does his profile say about him?”

Leslie bit her lip and looked away shyly. “I, uh, I haven’t actually clicked on it yet. I’ve been staring at his picture.”

Ann smiled and got up from her chair to look over Leslie’s shoulder. “Well, that’s promising. It must mean he’s at least cute–oh, okay. Not bad. Ben Wyatt. At least he doesn’t _look_  like a nasty perv.”

And Leslie really, _really_  hoped that he wasn’t, because the more she looked at it, the more she liked his face. She clicked on his profile and started skimming through.

“Okay, well it says that he’s an accountant for the state in Indianapolis, so he works for the government. That’s good. Is interested in politics. Says an ideal night in would be curled up watching the History Channel. Likes to read. He’s into Sci-Fi, but I guess that’s not too terrible. Strives to learn from past mistakes and make himself a better person.”

“It says that he’s looking for an intelligent, sophisticated woman that he can talk to but also have fun with.” Ann playfully tapped Leslie’s shoulder. “Hey, _you’re_  an intelligent and sophisticated woman that can talk history and politics and knows how to have fun.”

Leslie couldn’t help it. She smiled. “I am, aren’t I?”

“Yes! You should totally message him.”

“Oh, I don’t know.” Leslie bit her lip and tried not to stare at his picture again. What _was_  it with that smirk? “I mean, I don’t even know him.”

Ann just gave her a look. “Well, duh, how are you supposed to? All you have is that little page on his profile. You need to message him in order to get to know him better. And according to the questionnaire, you two already have a lot in common. _Soulmate_  level match, Leslie. I’ve never seen a match that high before.”

She groaned. “Ugh, I know you’re right, but this is still all really new to me. What if he doesn’t message back? What if-”

“Leslie, you’re making this a bigger deal than it is. If he doesn’t message back, so what? Maybe he never checks his profile. Maybe he’s not that into blondes. And if he ignores you, then it wasn’t worth it anyway, and you move on. Or maybe he does message you back, and worst case scenario you just end up making a new friend. But you won’t know until you try. ” 

Leslie turned to pull Ann into a tight hug. “Oh, Ann, you glorious and magnificent sea star, what would I do without you? You’re ten-thousand percent right. I’m totally chill. If he doesn’t answer back he doesn’t answer back. The point is that I’m getting out there.”

“Exactly!”

Leslie clicked on the link to send him a message, but her fingers paused above the keys. “What do I say?”

“Hmm, I don’t know. Just be super casual. Just introduce yourself a little. Let him know that you seem to have a lot in common and wanted to chat.”

Leslie started typing. “Should I ask him how big it is? Wait, no right? Too soon? Ugh, why does this feel like a first date only worse.”

Ann just giggled. “Oh, Leslie, I love you, but sometimes you just need to loosen up a little. You’re gonna be fine. And no, maybe not ask him about his penis _just_  yet.”

She nodded and looked back at the screen, her eyes flicking over to look at his picture every few seconds. Yeah, it probably wouldn’t be a good call to ask about his penis yet. Maybe it’s just been so long since she’s seen a really nice one in person, because for some reason, she _really_  wanted to know more about it. 

And the rest of him, too, of course… but also his penis.

“Okay,” Leslie said as she finished typing up the last part of her message, “what do you think? Good?”

Ann read through the message and grinned. “Perfect. See? You’re a natural at this. Just send it out and see what he says. And remember, if he doesn’t respond back, it’s not the end of the world. Trust me, there are _plenty_ of other guys out there who would be more than happy to be with someone like you.”

Leslie took a deep breath and sent the message, and she was so nervous she was almost shaking. She knew Ann was right, that if this didn’t work out it wasn’t her last hope. She _was_  a pretty great catch, after all.

But as she kept looking at his picture, she couldn’t help but think that she really wanted _this_  one to work out most of all.


	2. A Message From Leslie Knope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Ben opened his email in his lonely motel room, a message from Leslie Knope was the last thing he expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for all of your initial responses. Glad you seem to want to read this story! Here's the next chapter from Ben's POV. The chapters should get a little longer now, but i wanted to just get the initial "intros" out of the way first.

Ben Wyatt tossed his bag onto the dingy motel bed, his body soon following suit with a groan. The sheets were starchy and itchy, and had the faint scent of mildew, along with the rest of the room. He just hoped that the Wifi would be working today…

This was the part of the job he hated the most. Sure, the angry farmers coming after him with literal torches and pitchforks was a career low, but nothing felt worse than coming back to a dumpy motel room after a long, hard day. 

He sighed again, running a hand over his face as he pulled out his laptop. His usual plans for the evening consisted of ordering in and browsing through the Twin Peaks message boards for a few hours, and tonight was going to be no exception. The tiny little town they were in didn’t really offer much else to do even if he  _ wanted _ it. 

But he didn’t. He just wanted to do his job, leave, and then never see any of these people again. Which was a win-win because they never wanted to see him again either.

With a grimace, Ben cracked his neck as he entered his password to check his personal email. He expected the usual messages, ads for sales and coupons for stores he never shopped in, maybe the occasional feedback email for one of his fanfics, but what he found instead froze him.

It was an email from Hoosier Mate, and not one of those ‘We miss you please come back and check your matches’ emails, but an honest to goodness message from someone. That hadn’t happened before.

Truthfully, he never wanted that stupid profile in the first place. It had all been Chris’ idea months ago after he mentioned that Ben “needed to be in the company of a good woman more often”. When Ben remarked that he just wasn’t as good as Chris when it came to wooing women while on the road, Chris had the genius idea to make him an online dating profile. 

And Chris was a hard person to say no to, which was a wonderful thing for their work, but not so great when it came to matters like this. But, he eventually wore him down, and Ben made the stupid profile, and honestly hadn’t thought about it since. 

Until now, at least. He clicked the link--solely out of curiosity, he convinced himself-- and was brought to the page of one Leslie Knope.

98% compatibility. Soulmate level match, the caption had read. The highest match he had gotten when he first made his profile was below fifty percent, so this was...well it was kind of mindblowing.

She was pretty, there was no denying that, her blond hair curled softly around her face and blue eyes smiling along with her lips. He was still too nervous to skip right to her message, so instead he read through her profile. Maybe he could convince himself she wasn’t worth the time and not even bother with what she wrote.

But the more he read, the fewer reasons he had to ignore her. She worked in government, which mean they at least had things in common, and she seemed to genuinely love her job. His lips actually quirked up when he read that her hobbies included to “jammin’ on my planner” and “fulfillin’ my civic duties”. He was fairly certain that if he ever had to audit her, she’d be a nightmare, but there was also something endearing about it all. 

It was probably because he was so jaded after all of these years, but he admired her commitment and love to her job and community. Well, as much as he could after reading two lines of a profile. Even her favorite place was inside City Hall, for crying out loud.

His curiosity was beyond peaked, and there were no more reasons to put it off any longer. With one final loud exhale, he clicked on his inbox and opened the message. 

_ Hi Ben, _

_ My name is Leslie Knope, Deputy Director of the Parks and Recreation Department in Pawnee. I’m new to this online dating stuff, but my wonderful and beautiful friend convinced me to give it a try. I’m not quite sure what a soulmate level match means, but Ann (my wonderful and beautiful best friend) assures me that it’s really good. Just based off of the questionnaire, it appears that we have a lot in common, and I’d really like to get to know you a little better. _

_ If it’ll make things easier, I’ll tell you a little bit about myself, first. I love my job (if that wasn’t obvious enough from my profile) and helping people is the greatest gift that life can give. I work with the greatest group of people ever assembled under one roof, and they make my days even better. My favorite food is waffles smothered in whipped cream (preferably from JJ’s Diner here in Pawnee). I’m a huge history buff, and I especially love learning about powerful women who helped pave the way for people like me to be where I am. I absolutely love politics and plan on running for office someday, eventually becoming the President of the United States. And most of all, I just really love Pawnee. It’s the greatest city in Indiana, probably America, possibly the world. I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. _

_ Sorry if this is too much for a first message. I’ve never done this before. You’re really cute so I’m sure you get a lot of girls trying to talk to you, but I figured I’d give this a shot. I really would love to get to know you better. _

_ Hope to hear from you soon! _

_ Leslie Knope _

He reread the message a few more times, not entirely sure what to make of it. His initial impressions of her based on her profile were only confirmed by her message, and that wasn’t really a bad thing.

But, yeah, it was. This whole thing was stupid to begin with. He didn’t have time for this. He was always on the road, and long distance relationships never worked out. He’d learned that the hard way. And while Leslie’s message to him was flattering and she seemed like a nice enough person, he wasn’t going to bother. Maybe he’d send her a nice “thanks but I’m not really looking right now” message as a courtesy and move on.

He pushed it out of his mind for the next hour or so, minimizing the Hoosier Mate tab and going through the message boards eating the pizza he had delivered to the room. He was almost ready to decide for sure to apologize to Leslie that he wasn’t interested when there was an exuberant knock on the door.

Ben opened it to find Chris there, smiling wide with his arm wrapped around the waist of a tall, pretty brunette. 

“Ben Wyatt! Hello! How are you this evening?”

“Uhm, hi, Chris. I’m fine.”

“That is so excellent.” He motioned to the women next to him. “This beautiful young woman here is Lydia. She and I just had a very wonderful evening together and she invited me back to her place. I just wanted to let you know that I will most likely be there all night. I didn’t want you to worry. I will see you bright and early tomorrow morning!”

With his patented Chris Traeger smile, he turned around with one final wave and walked towards his car.

Ben watched their retreating backs and something sparked inside of him. Maybe it was jealousy, maybe it was something else entirely, but whatever it was, it made him wonder if he was wrong before.

Would answering Leslie be so bad? Even if it didn’t turn into anything romantic, having someone to talk to couldn’t hurt. He wasn’t like Chris, who befriend people everywhere he went. Sure there were a few hookups during his years on the road, but sometimes they just felt so empty. 

Did he really want something more meaningful? Had he just convinced himself it wasn’t worth it because ignoring it was easier than having yet another relationship fail?

Ben bit his lip and pulled the Hoosier Mate screen back up, the mouse hovering over the reply button.

Just one click. That’s all it would take. One click and a few words about himself. He could do this, right? Sure he could. She already liked him, so the initial fear of rejection wasn’t a factor. She thought he was cute, which was awesome, and he felt the same way about her, too. 

He just didn’t want to be stuck alone in some motel room every night with no one to talk to. If it all worked out, he could at least be stuck alone with  _ Leslie _ to talk to. There’s no rule that said she was his soulmate, no matter what that website said, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t have something fun together. It’d been far too long since he had any kind of anything.

And who knows, maybe Leslie Knope could change all of that.

Ben released a deep breath, clicked the reply button, and started typing. 


	3. I Still Think You're Cute

Ann rushed into Leslie’s office tired and out of breath, her scrubs slightly disheveled.

“What’s wrong? I got here as fast as I could.”

Leslie pointed at her computer and hopped up and down in her chair. “Ben! He-he wrote me back. It actually happened!”

Instead of the burst of happiness that Leslie was expecting, Ann frowned. “Leslie! I mean, yay, he wrote you back, but you have to stop scaring me like that. You texted me  _ Come here quick. It’s a matter of life and death _ . This is awesome news, but it doesn’t really count.”

“Uhm, that’s definitely a matter of opinion, Ann. My dating life is at stake here.”

Ann just rolled her eyes and sat down next to Leslie. “Okay, well what did he say? Was it good?”

Leslie sighed and slumped her shoulders. “I haven’t actually opened it yet. What?! I was too scared. What if he says he’s not interested? What if some other, hotter woman already messaged him and they’re super happy? What if he’s secretly married and made this profile to get some side action and his wife found my message and is writing back to threaten me? I’m too young to die, Ann!”

Ann’s eyes widened and she gently laid a hand on Leslie’s shoulder. “Uhm, wow, okay. Calm down. I guess some of those are slightly possible, but not likely. You’ll never know unless you check. I’ll be here with you every step of the way.”

Leslie looked over at her best friend and squeezed the hand on her shoulder. “Oh, Ann. Sweet, beautiful, wonderful, Ann. Thank you.”

She bumped Leslie shoulder and smirked. “Yeah, yeah, I’m amazing. Now hurry up and open the message before we both lose our minds. I’m  _ dying _ over here.”

“Okay, okay,” Leslie smiled.

She was actually excited again. There had been several different emotions that Leslie experienced upon first getting the email. The first was definitely excitement, but soon all of those negative thoughts clogged her thoughts until all that was left was dread. She had said before that it wouldn’t be a big deal if he turned her down, and it really wasn’t...but also, it totally was.

No one liked rejection, and even though she’d been through her fair share, it didn’t get any easier. She didn’t know a thing about this guy other than what was in his profile, but for some reason she couldn’t explain, she just wanted to get to know him. And if he wasn’t interested…

She clicked on the message before she could talk herself out of it again. 

_ Leslie, _

_ First, I have to say that your message was both unexpected and very flattering. I’ve never done this before, either. Actually, it was my friend and coworker that made this profile for me, and to be honest, I almost forgot about it. You’re the first person to message me, and definitely the first person to have been paired with me with this high of a match. I pre-apologize if I’m not all that good at this, but I wanted to give this a try and get to know you better, too. _

_ I feel like I know a lot about you already from your message and profile, so it seems only fair to return the favor. I’m an accountant and work as a budget specialist for the state. Basically, I travel all over to cities who are having a budget crisis and try to fix it. Wow, that sounds a lot more boring than it is. But anyway, that’s what I do, try to help cities get back on their feet. It’s hard and half (okay a lot more than half) of the time people hate me for it, but it works. I’m technically based out of Indianapolis, but I’m almost always on the road. That’s part of the reason why Chris (my coworker who made my profile) thought I needed to try online dating. It’s hard to meet people when you’re never in one place for too long. _

_ Anyway, more about me. I travel a lot, as I said, so that makes things hard, but I usually spend my free time reading or watching the History Channel or something. My favorite food is probably a nice, hot calzone. Not too particular where it comes from, though. I usually have to make due with whatever is in the town I’m in.  _

_ You want to run for office someday? That's awesome. Me too, actually. That's kind of why I went into the career that I did. I want to get as much experience as I can and prove myself before eventually running on my own. I definitely don't have aspirations as high as yours, though. It's probably for the best anyway. Now that I know you might run someday, I don't think I stand a chance. _

_ It's honestly so refreshing to hear about how much you enjoy your work and helping your city. I've been all over the place, and sometimes it's a little depressing to see how little people care. Eventually, I want to maybe transfer out and stop traveling so much. Settle down and find a place to call home again. Haven't had that in a while.  _

_ Wow, anyway, that's mostly it. See, you don't have to worry about your message being too long because I definitely think I surpassed it. Hopefully this didn’t turn you off completely, especially since I haven't even started talking about my love of Sci-Fi, but I think I'll spare you that for now. ;) ←--- (are winky faces still a thing? I’m not all that hip.) _

_ But yeah, thanks so much for messaging me. I know I wouldn't have had the guts to do it myself. I know your job and city are important to you, so I'd love to hear more about some of your projects, or anything else that would help me get to know you better. _

_ And no, there aren't a lot of cute girls messaging me. So far, just one, and I really hope she writes back. (That's you, by the way.)  _

_ Ben Wyatt _

Leslie sat back against her chair still for a few minutes before a wide grin spread across her face. She giggled, yes  _ giggled, _ like a teenager getting a note from the cutest guy in class.

“That sounds like a good laugh,” Ann said, waggling her eyebrows.  “So, what do you think?”

“I don’t know. I mean, he seems really nice and super adorable. It wasn’t a ‘let her down easy’ message. He actually seems....interested, right?” She turned to Ann in a panic. “Am I totally reading it wrong? That was definitely ‘flirty and fun’ as opposed to ‘let me message her a little  _ then _ let her down easy’, right? Oh, maybe it’s a catfish situation. April told me about those. Could be some weirdo that stole a picture of a super cute guy online and is posing as Ben Wyatt, state auditor, to lure unsuspecting women to their deaths.”

Ann narrowed her eyes and frowned. “Ok, first of all, how do you even come up with these scenarios. It just doesn’t seem like a healthy thing to dwell on. Second, would you just relax. It was a really sweet, super nice message. He totally seems into you. At least on the level that he wants to get to know you. Trust me, if he was  _ really _ a perv, that message could have been a lot more gross. Men on here can be disgusting. It might be setting the bar a little low, but he didn’t mention sex once, nor did he attach a link to a picture of his penis. That’s some pretty standard online dating nonsense.”

“Ew, did that happen to you?” Leslie asked with a wrinkled nose.

“You don’t know the half of it. He told you about his own interests, which are a lot like yours, by the way, and wanted to learn more about you, instead of begging you to send naked pictures. Yes, that’s another thing people do on here.”

Leslie sat sighed again and stared at the screen. Sweet, beautiful Ann was right. It was quite possibly the perfect response. Okay, so he likes calzones, but if that’s one of the worst things about him, she could live with it. He complimented her on her job and future aspirations and didn’t sound the least bit condescending. 

Plus, he was really, really cute.

“He called me cute.”

“Yup, he did.”

“And used a winky face even if he wasn’t sure it was cool or not.”

“He did that, too.”

Leslie crossed her arms and bit her lip. “I just have to not be stupid and agree to meet him tomorrow or something in case he tries to murder me. Get to know him better, maybe Skype? That’s a thing people do, right?”

“That’s definitely a thing people do. It might be a good next step before actually meeting in person. Especially if he’s working on the other side of the state.”

She sat silently again, staring at his message. He wanted this.  _ She _ wanted this. Whatever “this” was, she didn’t know, but she was totally going to find out. 

~~~~~

Ben was nervous and anxious, and when that happened, it made everyone else’s life miserable, too. He snapped a little too forcefully at some of the department heads, and Chris seemed to be doing a lot more apologizing than usual.

And he did feel bad about that, but at the same time he couldn’t help it. He was a jumbled mess after sending Leslie that message. He didn’t think he’d care as much as he did. It’s not a big deal. She’s practically a stranger, but  _ God _ he needed to know if she had written back or not.

It would be so easy to check, too, but he had a strong ‘no personal email’ policy when on the job, and he wasn’t about to break it over this, no matter how much he wanted to. And boy, did he want to. 

He was sitting at the makeshift desk in a room that he swore was a supply closet before they turned it into his “office” when Chris walked in. Ben knew that face. Chris knew something was up and was going to try to get him to talk about it.

Fuck.

“Ben Wyatt! How are you doing this glorious day.”

“Uh, I’m fine. You know, the usual. H-how are you? How was your evening with...Lydia?”

“Yes, Lydia! You have an amazing memory. It was wonderful, thank you for asking, but I didn’t come here to talk about me. I wanted to see if you were okay.”

Ben chuckled nervously and tapped his fingers on his desk. “I’m, uhm, I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?”

Chris sat down across from him and creased his forehead. “I honestly don’t know. You don’t seem to be your usual self today. It looks like there might be something weighing on your mind and I, as your dear friend and work partner, want to do everything in my power to help you.”

He liked Chris, he really did. For all of his annoying happiness, he was an overall nice and genuine person. And to be honest, right now he was his closest friend.

“Well, I guess,” Ben sighed, “I guess there  _ is _ something that’s been kind of making me a little nervous and anxious today.”

Chris leaned forward and for a split second there Ben was afraid he was going to reach for his hand. Thankfully he just rested his arm on the desk. “Ben, please, feel free to let me help you in any way that I can. Do you feel too overworked? Is there something I can take over?”

“Oh, no, nothing like that,” Ben answered, scratching the back of his neck. “It’s, uhm, it’s more of a personal issue. So, remember how a while back you made me that profile on that dating site?”

“Yes! HoosierMate.com, Indiana’s premier dating website.”

“Uhm, yeah, that one. Well, I got my first really good match yesterday and she sent me a message and at first I wasn’t going to reply, but then I got to thinking, and figured I’d just go for it. She seems really nice and sweet, and we have a lot in common. So I answered back, and now I’m kind of a nervous wreck wondering if she wrote back or not. I don’t even know  _ why _ I’m so nervous. I mean last night I was  _ this  _ close to turning her down and now...What am I even doing, Chris? Should I even be trying to date with us always on the road? If I’m this much of a wreck after one message, is it just going to get worse? I just don’t know what to do.”

"Wow, Ben," Chris said with a shake of his head. "I can see that this dilemma certainly has taken ahold of you. I, personally, think that online dating is a wonderful way for you to reach out and meet new people. That's why I was so insistent upon it. I know that your last relationship did not end well because of our traveling, but that shouldn't discourage you from getting back out there. I think that getting to know…”

“Uh, Leslie. Her name is Leslie.”

“Leslie!” he smiled broadly. “That is such a lovely name. I think that getting to know Leslie better could prove to be a wonderful experience for you. There’s nothing that says it will turn into anything serious, nor that it has to, but I truly believe that talking to new people will do you some good. And this Leslie person sounds like someone wonderful who shares many of your interests.”

“Yeah, she does, doesn’t she?”

“My recommendation is that you just be your usual, wonderful, charming self and see where this leads. Even if you just end up with a new friend to talk to, it’s more than what you have currently. Just by your behavior today, it’s clear that this is important to you in some way. Don’t try to belittle that. And I’m sure when you go back to the room tonight, a lovely message from Leslie will be awaiting you.”

Well, damn, the guy was right. “Thanks, Chris. Thanks a lot. I guess I just needed to hear it from someone else. And if Leslie doesn’t message me back, it’s not the end of the world.”

“No it is not, but I strongly believe that she will. How high was the match, by the way?”

“Uhm, 98%?”

Chris’ face turned serious and he blinked. “98%? Ben Wyatt, that is a soulmate level match. A match that high is almost unheard of in the HoosierMate dating world.”

Ben didn’t even want to know how Chris knew that, so he just nodded. “Oh, I mean I thought it was high, but I guess I didn’t realize that it was that big of a deal.”

Ben could tell Chris was doing his best to rein in his enthusiasm. “I...I don’t want to bias you either way. It could be that you have indeed found your “soulmate”, or at least someone to share some time with. Matches like this don’t come along very often. Why not take advantage of it while you can?” Chris was interrupted by a beeping on his watch. “Oh! Well, this was an excellent talk, but if you’ll excuse me, it’s time for my mid afternoon 10K. I certainly wish you the best in this.”

And like that, Chris was sprinting out of the room, waving goodbye over his shoulder.

Ben spent the rest of the day in a slightly better mood, but still on edge. This was probably the first time in months that he didn’t stay later than necessary and sped back to the hotel. In no time he had his laptop booted up and was signing into his email. 

His eyes went wide when he saw the new message waiting for him, and his stomach felt like it was the new home for about 1,000 butterflies. And why on earth was he shaking? 

He ran a hand over his face before clicking to open the message. 

_ Ben, _

_ I’m so happy that you wrote back! Your message just about made my day. I knew we’d have things in common just based on our profiles, but hearing more about you was really great, and just made me want to get to know you even better. I find it hard to believe that I’m the first person to message you, but their loss is my gain, it seems. _

_ Your job sounds really interesting, even though I don’t think it’s something I could ever do myself. I don’t know if I could ever leave Pawnee to travel that much, and I won’t even start about the accounting part. I’m definitely more about finding ways to spend money to better the community than try to find ways to cut back, but I suppose there are circumstances where it needs to happen. It’s awesome that you’re helping other cities get back on their feet. I’m just glad Pawnee doesn’t need you ;)  ←-- (see, winky face are still totally a thing). _

_ You want to run for office someday, too? That’s so awesome. Maybe we can share campaign strategies sometime. We just have to make sure we never run against each other or else we’ll know all of the other’s secrets. _

_ About my projects? Oh, where to begin. There’s just so many different ideas and things going on in my head that I want to make happen to make Pawnee the best place to live. My office is literally filled with idea binders. My biggest project right now, though, is probably Lot 48. It’s this big empty lot directly behind Ann’s (that’s my very best friend I mentioned before) house. It was the reason we met, actually. It used to be this big ugly pit, and she came to my department to have it fixed. It’s now an empty lot that I’m really trying to turn into a park. Fingers crossed on that one. _

_ Other than that, I just manage a lot of the extra activities that go on either at the Rec Center or in any of the city parks. Like, not too long ago we had our annual children’s concert. Things like that, but I’m always on the lookout for new and exciting challenges. _

_ I could honestly go on for hours and hours about my job and my city, but I think I’ll spread that out a little. Have to save some things to talk about next time ;)  (see two winky faces in this one. We’re definitely hip). _

_ Now, it’s your turn to tell me more about yourself. So far, I definitely like what I see. You basically had me when you said you watch The History Channel. The calzones thing was a bit much (really, Ben? It’s pizza that’s harder to eat) but I think I can overlook that since so far that seems to be your only flaw. Seriously, how am I the first person to message you? My mind is still kind of blown on that one. _

_ Anyway, I have a meeting to head off to ( I should also mention that I LOVE meetings), so that’s all I have right now, but I’d really like to hear more about yourself. And you can talk a little Sci-Fi if you want. I won’t mind (I almost added another winky face, but that might be a little TOO much). Hope to hear from you soon! _

_ Leslie _

_ P.S. I still think you’re cute. _

Ben didn’t realize he had been smiling until he finished reading the message for the third time and his cheeks started to hurt. He felt a little foolish, getting so excited over this, but he couldn’t help it. Leslie had written back, and it wasn’t a ‘thanks but it turns out I made a mistake message’. It was a full blown ‘you’re awesome and we should keep talking’ message. 

She...liked him. She liked him and wanted to keep talking. And even more surprising was that he felt the same way. Chris was right. He wouldn’t have been so anxious to hear back from her if he didn’t, and he definitely wouldn’t be so happy that she  _ did _ write back, either. 

He clicked reply and thought about what he could possibly say that wouldn’t scare her off or make her realize that he’s really just a giant nerd.

With a sigh he clicked on the TV and flipped over to the History Channel just in time to catch a documentary on Eleanor Roosevelt. He smiled again and thought of Leslie for some reason. He has “known” her for barely a full day, and he already figured that this would be something she’d love.

He started typing, knowing for sure he now had something to talk to her about.


	4. Baby, I Got Your Number

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If only this online dating thing came with a rule book....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The response to this story has been phenomenal. Thanks so much to all of you for reading and commenting and leaving kudos. It means the world.

Today was a good day. No, scratch that. Today was a _great_ day, and it was only six in the morning. Leslie got a full four hours of sleep, woke up and finished two idea binders, and to top it all off, she had a brand new message from Ben.

It had been almost two weeks since she sent him that first message, and since then, they emailed back and forth almost every day. His second email to her was basically a running, live commentary on the Eleanor Roosevelt documentary he was watching on the History Channel, and although she had seen that particular one about four times, it almost felt brand new seeing it through his eyes.

Yeah, he was amazing.

Their messages were getting more and more personal, but still not yet crossing that barely visible line into _too_ personal, if that made any kind of sense. She told him about her family and friends, her mom and just about everyone in the Parks Department. Yeah, even Jerry. He told her about his crazy parents and his siblings, and he gushed about how excited he was to become an uncle soon.

Chris, his friend and work partner, seemed far too nice to be human (also who runs that much?) but she had him to thank for Ben getting that profile to begin with, so she liked him just because of that.

And of course Ben knew about Ann. To be fair, everyone in the world should know about Ann.

Leslie giggled as she read his newest email for the third time. They had started playing this game where they would pick two people, real, fictional, living, or dead and choose who'd win in a fight. She's pretty sure it started out as some kind of Star Trek rant about Captains that she really had no idea about, but it was oddly adorable.

Anyway, he started off by posing two new contenders, Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan. To be honest, that immediately made her think of something more along the lines of sexual role play than a wrestling match, but she tucked that particular fantasy away. Maybe he was into that kind of thing...

Oh yeah, her thoughts about Ben definitely started drifting into more erotic territory lately, especially once she realized he was more than just a cute face. He was smart and funny and adorably nerdy.

She nearly had tears from laughing so hard after reading one of his worst auditing stories where after he fired one of the department heads, his tires were slashed and a brick was thrown through the window of his motel room. As terrible as it was, he had a way of making it sound more amusing than tragic.

That was the last audit he did alone before Chris joined him, by the way.

She just felt so connected to him already. She's not sure why she was so against the online dating thing in the first place. Assuming Ben didn't turn out to be a crazed weirdo in disguise, they were already getting the awkward ‘getting to know you’ part of dating out of the way.

This was the part of first dates that always threw her off. She just never knew what to talk about or would end up making a fool of herself. But this...this was awesome. And so was Ben.

That got her thinking. Were they dating? Is that what this whole back and forth was? Was it going to lead to dating? She hoped so, but she didn't know what the rules were for something like this. When would it be the right time to take the next step and at least exchange phone numbers to talk or text?

Leslie almost called Ann right then, but the last time she called before 7AM with a Ben related question, Ann didn’t like it too much.

So she waited, waited until she knew for sure Ann was up and told her to meet her at her office as soon as possible.

“Your text was just the right amount of self-control mixed with urgency. How long did you wait before sending it?” Ann asked with a smirk as she walked into Leslie’s office later that morning.

“About two hours. See? I’m getting better.”

“And me and my sleep schedule appreciate it. So what’s up? What’s new on the Ben front?”

Leslie sat back in her chair and sighed with a smile. “It’s going really good. At least, I think it is. He sent me another message, and it was just so great because it felt like we’re just talking like friends. None of that weird, awkward stuff.”

“Yay! That’s awesome.”

“Yeah,” Leslie nodded. “I guess now I just want your advice on what to do next. I really like talking to him, but I don’t know if it’s too soon to go more personal and like exchange phone numbers or something. I’m guessing that’s the next step with this? Has it been long enough to go there yet? Is it safe? We still haven’t 100% ruled out that he’s catfishing me.”

“You really need to stop letting April tell you things like that,” Ann said before walking over to Leslie’s computer. “But to answer your first question, I don’t think it’s too soon or anything. It’s been almost two weeks. I mean, you met on a dating site, so there should be at least some understanding that it might get more involved. I don’t see the harm in putting it out there.” Ann reached over Leslie and started typing on the keyboard. “And to answer your second question, there’s an easy way to find out for sure.”

Leslie wrinkled her forehead and watched as Ann typed Ben Wyatt into the Google search bar. “What are you doing?”

“I’m Googling him. If he’s real, there’s gotta be something on him somewhere on the internet. Especially if he works for the state."

“You’re so smart. Smart and beautiful.”

Ann smiled and then slid the mouse over to Leslie. “Have at it. See what you can find on him.”

When the results popped up, Leslie hovered over the images that previewed at the top of the screen. That same picture that was used for his profile was there, and yeah, she still loved that little smirk. There were a few other pictures, definitely work related, where he looked much more somber and serious, but it was definitely still the same guy.

Damn, he _was_ cute.

“Hmm, okay, that’s good,” Ann said from beside her. “If your guy isn’t real, he’s at least stealing the identity of a person that totally exists.”

“You don’t really think--oh you’re joking.”

“Yeah, I was,” she smiled. “It’s totally him. Don’t worry about that. Ben Wyatt, Indiana state auditor. And just to back up his story, it says here that Chris Traeger is also totally a real human being.”

Leslie breathed a sigh of relief. “Okay, yeah, that’s really good.”

“Yup. Now we just have to see what other dirt we can find on him.”

They spent the next several minutes scrolling through the results, and so far so good. Just little things here and there about his work in the different towns. No criminal record or anything that would suggest he makes a habit of sweet talking women online and then murdering them. That was also a thing April said people do.

“Wait, what’s this?” Leslie said aloud and clicked on a link about Benji Wyatt, teen mayor. No. Oh, no it couldn't be. Wow, yup, it totally was. “Oh, my God. I know him!”

"Wait, what?"

"I mean I don't _know_ him know him, but I know who he is. Back when I was a teenager I followed a story about an 18 year old that got elected as mayor of his home town. That’s him. Oh my God, this is nuts. I was so jealous of him, but I also thought he was kind of cute. Maybe this is fate, Ann. I get to date/bang my teenage crush. Why on earth is he a state auditor?”

Ann took the mouse and clicked on one of the articles. “Oh...maybe this can answer that. Looks like you didn’t need to be all that jealous. Says here that he ended up bankrupting the whole town trying to build a huge skating rink or something. Got impeached soon after.”

Leslie’s breath hitched as she read the article, feeling inexplicably heartbroken. She couldn’t imagine being in his shoes, so young and eager only to have it all blow up in his face.

“In his profile it said that he wants to learn from past mistakes, and then he was saying that he was working to try and prove himself before running for office. He must have meant this. I wonder why he didn’t tell me?”

Ann smiled sadly. “Leslie this is some pretty serious stuff. Those articles were brutal. I doubt this is the kind of thing you tell someone you want to impress. You don’t exactly start off by telling people your worst failures.”

Leslie rested her chin on her hand. “Yeah, you’re right. It's just really heavy stuff. I kind of feel bad for prying.”

“Has it changed your opinion at all?"

“No. I mean I still really like him and now I know for sure he is who he says he is. And it was a mistake he make when he was just a kid. I can't hold that against him. Not when he’s trying so hard to make up for it.”

“Then go for it. There’s nothing that says you can’t take it to the next level. But just a  suggestion, I wouldn’t tell him that you know unless he brings it up. At least not for a while.

“Yeah that’s probably for the best. But you think I should do it?"

"Definitely. He’s totally into you. Giving him your number is a good way to let him know that you are, too. Oh, you should send a picture of yourself.”

Leslie wrinkled her nose. She didn’t think _that_ would be the next step.

“Oh, stop, I didn’t mean a naked picture,” Ann said. “Just like a regular one. Maybe one of you and the Parks department doing one of your activities or something. You’re always talking about them, so he can have a picture of you other than what’s on your profile, but it’s not _too_ in his face either.”

Leslie bit her lip and nodded slowly in thought. “I do have a lot of pictures to choose from. And I feel like it’s only fair since I kind of picture stalked him on Google. That is a brilliant idea. If this doesn’t work to let him know that I’m serious, I don’t know what will.”

“Alright,” Ann smiled and gave Leslie a high five. “I have to get to work, but good luck with all this and let me know when he calls or texts you.”

Leslie watched as Ann got her purse and stood up. “Do you really think he’ll do it?”

“Oh, trust me, he will. I bet he’ll try to wait like an hour or so after reading it just to not seem too eager, but you’ll hear from him. I know it.”

“Bye Ann, and thank you!” Leslie called out after Ann as she walked to the door. “You’re beautiful and I love you.”

Perfect. That was just the boost of confidence that Leslie needed. She was totally going to do this. Before she could change her mind, Leslie opened up her folder of pictures on her computer and started browsing.

~~~~~

Ben should have sensed something was different when he woke up and started whistling on his way to the shower, or when he passed in front of a mirror and saw himself smiling out of the corner of his eye. It should have been obvious when people at work treated him a little differently, too. He received a few more nervous smiles than usual, and so far he only made one person cry, which was a personal record.

It wasn’t until Chris pointed out his improved mood that Ben really even noticed, but tried to pass it off as the result of a good night’s sleep and nothing more.

He didn’t want to say anything and jinx something before it even really happened, but he knew Leslie was at least partly responsible for his lifted spirits.

OK, so she was _mostly_ responsible.

He felt ridiculous that he was so giddy and happy over someone he barely knew. Someone he hadn’t even met yet, if he’d ever meet her. But he just couldn’t help himself. Every time he started to focus on something else, Leslie would pop back into his mind. He’d laugh at something she had written, or he’d see something that reminded him of her and immediately wish he could tell her about it. Truth be told, he had a small portion of his notebook devoted to things to tell Leslie that night in his email.

Oh yeah, those were practically daily, now.

Every evening he’d come to his crappy motel room, throw himself on the fading bedspread, and read his newest message. In those moments, the peeling wallpaper or the faint scent of mold didn’t bother him. He didn’t feel depressed or lonely. He felt...happy.

Chris had been right. He wasn’t sure where any of this was going, but if felt good to have someone to talk to, someone who he could be himself around.

And she was turning out to be an amazing person. She was kind and thoughtful and smart and funny and...did he mention amazing? He never knew anyone that seemed to work so hard or love what she was doing that much. So passionate about everything she did.

So her town sounded kind of weird with its raccoons, obese toddlers, odd townspeople,  and apparently evil librarians, but Leslie loved it so much, it couldn’t be all that bad.

Plus, she actually played along with his silly “Who’d Win A Wrestling Match?” game.  

He just wished he knew what to do next. He didn’t want to rush anything and turn her off, but he also didn’t want to make it seem like he wasn’t interested in taking that next step...whatever that was.

He’d be lying if he said he’d never thought about what her voice sounded like, or how she laughed, or even wished he had something other than that one picture from her profile.

But he wasn’t sure if it was the right time yet. And to top it all off, there was still that one big thing hanging over his head: Ice Town.

To some people, it might not be that big of a deal, but he couldn’t imagine it being that way to Leslie. She knew politics, she would know just he big he messed up and the long term ramifications of what he had done. That alone could change everything, and to be honest, it was terrifying.

He liked her. _Really_ liked her, and he didn’t want to do anything to mess up whatever it was that they had.

So he was going to try to be subtle, but not too subtle. Find the perfect balance that showed he was definitely interested in being more than just friends without looking like he was trying to rush things. He just needed to be cool.

He was totally screwed.

But he hoped that maybe Leslie’s next message would give him something to work with, something he could use to gently nudge things forward. Thankfully when he came back to his room later that evening, he was rewarded with another email. With a grin he didn’t even bother trying to suppress, he kicked off his shoes and tugged on his tie, getting himself comfortable and settled on the bed before reading.

_Ben,_

_First of all, really? Thatcher vs. Reagan? Of course Margaret Thatcher would win. Her nickname was literally the Iron Lady. If that isn’t a professional wrestler name, I don’t know what is. I honestly can’t think of two new contenders right now, but once I do, they’ll be some good ones. You just wait._

_But anyway, things are still going good, as usual. We had a little raccoon scare/turf war, but we were able to drive them back to their side of town. It’s a long story, and I’m still a little raw from it, so I’ll have to tell you about it some other time. But I’m okay, and there were only a few minor injuries. Much better than last time._

_We had a major trash pickup in Ramsett Park this past weekend, which went really well. Everyone in the department actually showed up this time, which doesn’t always happen. It went amazingly well. I even designed t-shirts for us to wear to commemorate it. I attached a picture of the group...you know, if you wanted to see what they looked like. And us, I guess. You know, if you wanted to see what everyone else looks like, too-_

Wait, what?

Ben’s heart skipped a beat, and he didn’t even finish the email before clicking on the attachment.

It was a group shot, all of them dressed in matching shirts and smiling--well _some_ of them were smiling--at the camera. And right there in the middle was Leslie, her blonde hair shining brightly in the afternoon sun and a smile to match.

It definitely wasn’t what he would have expected as a first picture. He could tell it was taken _after_ the cleanup. Their clothes were slightly dirty and Leslie had a little smudge on her cheek, but that just made it all the more special.

She wasn’t trying to impress him in any other way than just being herself. _This_ was Leslie, spending her days out cleaning parks and fighting raccoons with the people she cared about.

And she was beautiful.

Ben stared at the picture a little while longer before going back to the email, and just when he thought it could get any better, Leslie surprised him once again.

It was her phone number. Right there at the end of her message.

_I really love talking to you, and I hope this isn’t too forward, but here’s my phone number to call or text anytime you want to talk. Seriously, any time. You know I only sleep like 4 hours a night anyway. Use it whenever you’re ready. I’ll be waiting._

Shit. Holy shit. It was better than anything he could have possibly expected. He was hoping for a cute story that he could respond to and maybe toss in some flirting, or lightly test out the idea of communicating outside of just the emails, but she was lightyears ahead of him.

His hands were shaking when he pulled out his phone and entered her number, but he didn’t send anything. Should he wait? Would he look too eager if he immediately texted her? Was there even an appropriate waiting period for these things?

But then if he waited too long it might look like he wasn’t interested. Crap, why was dating so hard? Or whatever the hell you call what they’re doing. This online dating thing really should come with a rule book or something.

He left his phone on the table for over an hour, staring at it as he ate his dinner and changed out of his work clothes. It was just sitting there, mocking him for his cowardice.

“God, just do it already,” he said to himself, standing up quickly from his bed and walking over to his phone, but he couldn’t pick it up. “Come on. Get it together, Wyatt. She wouldn’t have sent it to you if she didn’t want you to use it. Just one text. That’s all you have to do.”

His hand hovered over the phone, and was he seriously starting to nervous sweat over this?

What would he even say. _This is Ben_ was way too stiff and boring, but _Hey Leslie, it’s Ben. You’re wonderful and beautiful and I’m pretty sure I’m going to have a sex dream about you tonight_ was probably a bit too much.

_Hey Leslie, this is Ben Wyatt. I really love talking to you, too, so thank you for giving me your number, and now you have mine. Don’t be too shy to use it. Also, thanks for the picture. I loved it. Hope to hear from you soon. P.S. don’t think this is going to take the place of my nightly email. Gonna go write that now. ;)_

He set his phone down beside him and sighed. Perfect. Not too short, not too long. Eager, but not desperate. All he had to do now was wait and hope for a response.

In the meantime, he had an email to write.


	5. Good Vibrations

Leslie was doing her best to stay busy, but it wasn’t working. Everyone had long left the office, but she just couldn’t bring herself to go home. Going home meant even less distractions, and she needed all of the distractions she could find.

The clock on her wall was taunting her even though she refused to look at it. Yes, she knew what time it was. She knew that this was usually the time that Ben got back to his room and checked his email.

He could be reading her message right now, and that thought made butterflies reappear in her stomach for the thousandth time that day. She was confident that she had made the right choice, that taking that little baby step forward was what both of them wanted…

But what if it wasn’t? What if he took one look at her picture and said ‘thanks but no thanks’. Crap on a cracker, she _knew_ she shouldn’t have chosen one from after a work day. She was sweaty and gross and she’s pretty sure there was dirt on her cheek. But she was really excited about those t-shirts, and she just wanted to show herself in her element. Maybe that’s more of a second or third picture moment.

Damn it, why didn’t she just find one where she was wearing a nice, sexy hat. Men loved those. Oh, or better yet, a really elaborate scarf.

Maybe it was the phone number thing. Yeah, it was definitely that. It was too soon and he was trying to think of a nice way to slow everything down. She wasn’t sure what would be worse, if he emailed her back and told her she was going too fast or if he completely ignored her after that.

She was sitting at her desk trying to avoid going into a full blown panic when her phone vibrated on her desk. She really hoped it was Ann because she needed someone to talk to, and maybe see if she was up to helping Leslie drown her sorrows in ice cream.

But when she checked, she saw a text from a number she didn’t recognize.

“Holy shit,” Leslie said to herself as she stared at the screen. It was from him. Ben. He...he actually texted her.

_Hey Leslie, this is Ben Wyatt. I really love talking to you, too, so thank you for giving me your number, and now you have mine. Don’t be too shy to use it. Also, thanks for the picture. I loved it. Hope to hear from you soon. P.S. don’t think this is going to take the place of my nightly email. Gonna go write that now. ;)_

Her heart was beating so fast and loud she could hear it in her ears, and basically her entire body was shaking from nervous excitement. He wrote her back. He said he loves talking to her. And he liked...no, _loved_ the picture. Yes, take that mainstream media. Some guys like a girl with a little dirt on her face after a long day of manual labor.

And he wants her to text him back.

She would totally do that too if she thought she could possibly string more than two coherent words together. But right now she was barely capable of doing anything other than laughing nervously to herself. Because Ben Freakin’ Wyatt texted her back.

Leslie grabbed blindly for her office phone and dialed the number she knew by heart, refusing to look away from the text on her screen in case it disappeared or something else crazy happened when she looked away.

“Hey, Leslie, what’s up?” she heard Ann’s beautiful, melodic voice say through the receiver.

“Ann, you gorgeous, wonderful, omniscient bird-of-paradise. It worked! It’s happened. I’ve just experienced one of the top ten moments of my dating life.”

“Oh, my God! Really?! What happened? Tell me everything.”

“So I took your advice and sent him a picture from our last river cleanup-”

“Wait, before or after?”

“After, and I know what you’re thinking but don’t worry, it totally worked. I sent him the picture and then at the end of the email I gave him my phone number and he just texted me! He said that he loves talking to me, and now that I have his number, to not be too shy to use it. He said that he _loved_ the picture, and wants to hear from me soon. Then he ended with a winky face. That’s kind of our thing, now. Winky faces. It’s cute. He’s cute, and he likes me.” She’s silent for a second. “Wait, he does like me, right?”

“Oh my God, Leslie, yes! He totally likes you. I was pretty sure before, but now I’m convinced. What did you say back?”

“See, that’s partly why I’m calling. I don’t know what to do next. You know I’m terrible at this stuff. Help me, Ann, please. You’re my only hope.”

“Wait, was that…”

“Okay, yes,” Leslie sighed. “I watched Star Wars the other night and did a live commentary on an email to Ben. It was fun. We’re sharing interests.”

“Whoa, that’s….serious stuff. But yes, of course I’ll help. This is the first guy in a long time that you’ve been excited about. I’m here for you.”

“Oh, thank you so much. I love you. Please, impart on me your never-ending wisdom.”

“There’s really not all that much to it," Ann said with a laugh. “First and foremost, you need to relax. You have nothing to worry about. He likes you, _really_ likes you. And he’s probably just as nervous as you are. You’re awesome, Leslie, so just be yourself, okay? He’s seemed to like that so far.”

Leslie smiled into the receiver. “How are you always right?”

“What can I say. It’s a gift. So just don’t overthink it because that’s what you always do. Just talk to him like you have for the last two weeks. You’re already friends, maybe something more. That isn’t going to change all of a sudden because you’re texting now instead of emailing. What’s the first thing that pops into your mind now to text back?”

Leslie opened and closed her mouth several times. “Uh...I...You....yeah, I got nothing that doesn’t involve asking about his penis.”

“Oh, come on, you have to have something. Don’t think about what you _should_ say or what you think he wants to hear. If he was just a friend that you had no romantic interest in whatsoever, what would you say? No pressure.”

“Uhm, I guess I’d just tell him that I was excited he texted me. That I really hope this can help us get to know each other even better. I don’t know, something like that. I’m just not good at this-”

“No, see, that’s perfect. You just get yourself so riled up, you freak out. What you said was a great starting point. It doesn’t need to be anything huge or elaborate. Just let him know that you’re excited and happy and see what he does next.”

“Yes, I can do that,” Leslie answered with a determined nod. “I give speeches at public forums in front of tons of people. I’ve been on tv before. I can do this. It’s just Ben. He’s awesome and loves talking to me. What is there to be afraid of, right?”

“Yes! You got this. Knock his socks off. Then, if you play your cards right, you’ll eventually come to a place where you can totally ask about his penis. But not yet.”

“I like the sound of that. Okay, Ann, thank you for guiding me through yet another online dating breakdown. I’ll let you know how it goes.”

“You better. Love you, and seriously, just relax.”

After saying their goodbyes, Leslie took a deep, calming breath. Relax. She could do that, right? It was no big deal. It’s just Ben, super cute accountant, and thanks to Google images and Ben’s penchant for wearing tight, khaki pants, she knew he had a butt so tight she could bounce a quarter off of it.

Yeah nothing to worry about at all.

So, she picked up her phone and texted the first thing that came to her mind that fully encompassed the complex depth of her excitement.

_Ben!!!!!!!_

Okay, so it wasn’t exactly her most articulate moment, but it was definitely safe. There were just enough exclamation points to accurately portray her enthusiasm. She hardly even had time to second guess her decision before he was texting her back.

 _Leslie!!!!!!_ _That’s great. I think I’m going to start every email like that from now on. And seeing that many exclamation points after a guys name sure makes him feel special. How are you doing?_

God, seriously, could he get any more adorable?

_Ben!!!! Yeah, I was gonna start every text like that, but it’s a bit much. I’m doing really well, thanks for asking. Just catching up on some last minute things at the office and now, chatting with a really awesome guy. What about you?_

_Oooo, an awesome guy, huh? Anyone I know? And I’m doing well. What are the odds? I also happen to be talking to someone pretty awesome myself and trying to write her an email. She might be sick of hearing from me after this…_

_Well, I don’t know much, but she does sound pretty awesome. Awww, you don’t have to write me an email too if we’re already talking (even though I doubt anyone could get sick of talking to you)._

_Ha! You’re sweet. Try telling that to the people whose budgets I have to cut down. They’ve gone to creative lengths to shut me up. And nope, still writing you an email. It’s tradition now, and everyone knows you can’t just go back on traditions._

If Leslie wasn’t already kind of super smitten with Ben before, she sure has hell was now.

_Oh, you got me there. Traditions are super important and are part of what make America so great. Okay, some traditions, not all. But the email tradition sounds like one to keep. Do I at least get a teaser about what you’re writing?_

_You want me to spoil the surprise?! Never! Okay, if you insist. As you can tell I have an iron will. The email started off as just a generic ‘Hey how are you? Nice shirts and big mistake giving me your phone number because now there are more ways for me to be distracted by you.’ You know, things like that. Now it’s a running commentary on our text conversation. Very meta._

Wait, more ways for him to be distracted by her? She smiled so wide, her cheeks hurt, but who cared. Ben was _distracted_ by her. That’s a top level compliment, right there. It was at least good to know that she wasn’t the only one ‘distracted’ by almost constant thoughts of Ben and his emails. Now it’ll be Ben and his text messages, and the list can only grow longer from here.

_You’re such a nerd, but it’s good to know that I’m not the only one being distracted in all of this. And thanks for the compliments on the shirts. I’ve got a great deal going on with the guy that makes all of the shirts and uniforms for the area sports teams, so I try to come up with excuses for new parks shirts all of the time. But yeah, that’s my team, plus Andy and Ann, who aren’t technically a part of the department but are definitely honorary members. Looking back on it though, I probably should have sent you one from before the cleanup. I’m pretty sure that’s mud on my cheek…_

_Wait? You’ve got a t-shirt guy? Okay, so just when I thought you couldn't get any better, you tell me this. If I told you that I had a small notebook filled with potential t-shirt ideas, would you think any less of me? If the answer is yes, then HA nevermind. Totally joking. If the answer is no, then you and I need to talk sometime and hook me up with him… And don’t be ridiculous. I loved that picture. It just seems so...you. I don’t think you could have looked nearly as happy before doing all of that hard work. That’s the face of someone who is proud of what she’s just done. And it’s a really beautiful face, too…_

Leslie audibly gasped, yes _gasped_ when she read that last line. He thought she was beautiful? On top of all of the other compliments he’d been subtly sending her over the last few weeks, this one just...well, it floored her.

She must have spent quite a few minutes being too stunned to move because soon her phone vibrated again.

_Crap, that wasn’t too forward, was it? Double crap. I’m sorry if that came on too strong. I’m not really good at this flirting thing...As you can tell by the fact that I also just blatantly admitted to flirting with you while trying to apologize. Don’t mind me, I’m just going to be sitting here waiting for the ground to open up and swallow me whole because that will be a less painful experience. But seriously, I’m sorry if that was too strong or came too soon. I just...really like you and think you’re very attractive and sometimes I’m not all that great at expressing it._

Oh, God, this couldn’t be happening. He was the one having a major freakout and not her. To be honest, she was definitely relieved he let out this massive word vomit before she did, but damn, it felt good to know none of this was one-sided. If that wasn’t the ultimate confidence boost, she didn’t know what was.

_No! Sorry, it’s fine, really. I was just surprised and shocked, but in a really good way. Thank you. I...like it when you flirt with me, and just to even the playing field, I think you’re really handsome, too. I mean, just from what I’ve seen...But you’re also a really nice and awesome person, so that makes you all the more attractive. Not to mention that you have a t-shirt idea notebook, too. That just bumped you way up in my book. We’ll have to definitely talk more about that sometime, and I’ll give you my guy’s number. Just tell him that I referred you and you’ll get a discount. I’m basically keeping him in business, anyway._

_Oh, thank god you weren’t upset. Thankfully, there was no giant hole in the earth that I’ve fallen into (which would have been pretty impossible considering there are no major fault lines anywhere near here). And thanks...I think you’re really nice and awesome, too. As much as I hated it, turns out that Chris setting up my profile was one of the best things that’s happened to me in a really long time. Almost as good as the news that you can get me a discount on custom t-shirts…_

She barely remembered what they talked about after that. Leslie was floating in a Ben-induced haze of euphoria. They texted off and on for nearly the whole night, with only a few breaks in between to account for things like Leslie driving home and Ben’s partner, Chris showing up at his door for their weekly game of Boggle.

She actually pouted when Ben said that he was an old man and needed his eight hours of sleep, but the mental image of him lying down on his bed, comfy in his pajamas and all droopy eyed talking to her made her insides swim. He said that he hoped to talk to her again tomorrow, and wished her sweet dreams.

Oh, if he only knew the kinds of dreams she’d have after what happened tonight.

She worked for a few more hours, then figured she’d check her email one last time before bed. She almost forgot that Ben had promised to send another message, and sure enough, even after spending the better part of the night talking with her, a brand new reply was sitting in her inbox.

But the best part, the greatest, most wonderful part, was the very end.

_I really had a really great time talking to you, Leslie. You’re amazing and I really hope we can keep doing this. Also, it’s only fair since you sent me a picture, I attached one too. It’s just me and my brother last summer on our fishing trip. Nothing nearly as honorable as yours, but this is one of the few pictures I have that I’m actually smiling. Have a great night!_

She licked her lips and opened the attachment, and Jesus, was that man attractive. His arm was wrapped around his brother, the two of them holding beers in their hands and wearing large, happy smiles. He had his sunglasses pushed up over his head, and his skin was just slightly red from the sun. And his hair...God she just wanted to run her hands through those perfectly tousled locks.

She stared at it probably longer than what would be considered appropriate, but who the hell cared about that. He was gorgeous. She slid down in her sheets and clenched her thighs together, because woo boy, his face was doing some serious things to her lady parts.

Yup, she was definitely going to have some amazing dreams for sure.


	6. Call Me Anytime

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you can see, I've upped the rating from T to an M....for reasons. Thanks for your comments and positivity.

Ben was sitting at his desk going over the budget for the transportation department when his phone vibrated next to him. Without even looking away from his spreadsheets, he smiled. There was only one person in the world it could be.

Pretty much everyone else knew not to call or text him on his cell phone during work hours unless it was an emergency. But that was back when he actually followed his own ‘no cell phones at work’ policy.

That was before Leslie Knope.

It was almost unbelievable how much influence she had over him and she didn’t even know it. He tried to follow the rules before, but it was a lot easier when it was just emails. There was no way he was going to turn down Leslie if she wanted to message him at any moment throughout the day.

Yeah, she was a distraction, but a more than welcome one. And he deserved it after going so long without anything really good or exciting in his life. He worked hard, did what he had to do, so why couldn’t he spend a few minutes texting Leslie?

He saved the file and reached for his phone.

_What’s this look like to you?_

He squinted at the image that she had sent with her text and bit his lip.

_Uhm… lunch? It looks like a potato chip._

_Well DUH. But do you see anything weird in it?_

_Should I? It just looks like a slightly burned chip._

_So you’re telling me that you don’t see Academy Award nominated and Emmy Award winning documentary filmmaker Ken Burns’ face in this potato chip? Come on, Ben, it looks just like him. I’m this close to sending it to Ripley’s Believe it or Not._

Ben just chuckled and shook his head.

_Sorry, believe it or not (PUN!) I don’t see anything even close to resembling Ken Burns._

_Wow, are all accountants that unimaginative, or is it just you?_

_Ouch, low blow, Knope. And excuse me, just because I don’t see Ken Burns in a potato chip doesn’t mean I lack imagination. I’ll have you know that my world map was voted most creative and elaborate by my college Dungeons and Dragons club. So there._

_WOW, you sure showed me ;) but you better have been right because I just ate the chip, and if it could have made me millions, I’m blaming you._

_Sure, you can go ahead and blame me. I can take it._

_Good, because I will. Okay, off to a meeting on some new sprinklers. I’ve been looking forward to this all week. Wish me luck! Talk to you later tonight probably._

Ben laughed and shook his head because he could just imagine her genuine excitement at the prospect of a two hour meeting about sprinkler systems.

He was learning so much about her now that they started talking more regularly, and it wasn’t big things either. The subtle, little things like what her favorite emoji was, or how much she loved exclamations points because she was almost always excited about something.

It was a pavlovian response now every time he heard his phone vibrate or his text ringtone went off. He’d get excited and drop whatever he was doing to check it hoping that it was Leslie.

And to top it all off, it had only been three days.

It felt like it was happening so fast, and yet not fast enough. It sucked that his current assignment had him all the way on the north side of the state and nearly 5 hours away from her.

He promised himself that if things were still going well, he’d ask if she wanted to meet in person once he got back to Indy. Leslie kept being the one to initiate things, and for once, he wanted ignore his fears and anxieties and be the one to take things further.

But until then, he just had to not screw anything up.

~~~~~

Ben was walking into his room when the phone rang, his brother's name lighting up the screen.

“Hey, Henry.”

“Benji! What’s up, little bro?”

“Nothing much. What’s up with you? How’s my favorite sister-in-law and unborn niece?”

Henry laughed and Ben just knew that nothing could wipe off the smile that was most likely on his face. “We’re great. Everything’s going really well. The doctor said they’re both in great health. Yeah, she hates that she’s always tired and her feet are swollen and she can barely stand for more than ten minutes at a time, but she’s taking it all a lot better than I would if I was in her shoes.”

“Yeah, well we always knew that your wife was a better person than you in almost every way possible, so…”

“Yeah, yeah, good to know you’re still a smartass. Oh, thanks again for those onesies you mailed to us. Tracy cried because she thought they were so adorable. It’s like 90% hormones, but they were really cute.”

Ben smiled and tossed his bag on the bed. “Yeah, of course. What kind of uncle would I be if I didn’t start spoiling my niece from the womb? I gotta let Leslie know she liked them.”

He didn’t even think, and it wasn’t until the words were already out of his mouth that he realized what he had just done.

“Ooooo, Leslie, huh? Don’t tell me you found someone in that podunk town you’re in. You finally broke things off with your right hand?”

“Don’t be an asshole,” Ben growled as he flopped down on his bed. “Leslie’s just...a friend.”

“A friend that went out with you shopping for onesies? Yeah, not buying it.”

“Ha, shows how much you know. She didn’t go shopping with me. I was having trouble deciding so I sent her some pictures of the different ones and she helped me choose.... And as I’m saying it I realize that this doesn’t help my case.”

“Nope, it really doesn’t.” Henry laughed, and it was that same taunting laugh from back when they were kids. Ben hated that laugh. “So, tell me more about this Leslie person.”

“Look, there’s nothing-”

“Nope, don’t even try pulling that shit with me. I know you, Benji, and you don’t mention _anyone_ unless it’s important. The fact that it happened by accident and you’re just spouting off her name without thinking tells me that it’s _definitely_ serious. Spill.”

Ben groaned and rolled over on the bed. “It’s a long story and you’re probably gonna make fun of me or something for it.”

“I’m always making fun of you, so that’s not much of a stretch, but if it’s really something important to you, I promise to hold back. Just tell me.”

“Fine. So you know Chris, right?”

“Million Dollar Man crossed with Mister Rogers.”

“Yeah, basically. Anyway, a while back Chris thought it would be a good idea to make me a profile on an online dating site. I did it just to get him off of my back, but I forgot about it for months. Then a few weeks ago I get a message from Leslie. Turns out we got some crazy high compatibility match, and we kind of started talking and now we’re talking a lot. She lives on the other side of the state. Not too far from Indy, but pretty far from where I’m working now. That’s it, I swear. We’re just...talking.”

“But you like her.” It wasn’t a question. Henry knew him better than almost anyone.

“Yeah...yeah I do. And I’m 99% sure she likes me, too. It’s just hard right now cuz everything’s long distance, but we have a lot in common and I love talking to her. I don’t know. You probably think it’s stupid and-”

“No, I don’t,” Henry cut in. “I know you have your weird things about dating, but online dating is really common now. A good buddy of mine met his wife through a dating site. I know I joke around with you, but I get that it’s really hard for a guy in your position to meet people, always moving around, not to mention your general lack of appeal…”

“Very funny. What was it you said about not being an asshole?”

“Sorry,” Henry chuckled. “But seriously, it’s tough, and if this is working for you than I don’t see anything wrong with it. Sooo, tell me about her.”

“She’s...she’s amazing,” Ben sighed. “She’s deputy director of her city’s parks and rec department, she’s really into politics, and legitimately just loves helping people. Her job is her life, and her job is basically trying to better her town and make people happy.”

“She does all of that and she likes _you_? You have to be lying to her,” Henry teased.

“No, she knows all about what I do. Yeah, she’s not _crazy_ about it, but she understands that it’s still important. We really have a lot in common.”

“She cute?”

Ben smiled even wider. “Yeah, she really is. Gorgeous blonde hair, an amazing smile, and the most beautiful blue eyes I’ve ever seen.”

“Damn, Benji’s got it bad. You planning on meeting her?”

“I really want to, and I think she wants that, too. It’s not really possible right now, but as soon as we’re done here and I get back to Indy, I’m gonna ask her. I just hope it’s not too soon or it weirds her out or-”

“Listen, bro, I love you to death, but sometimes you’re such a tight ass. She obviously likes you and you’re both comfortable enough to do things like help each other shop for onesies. That’s not even typical friend stuff. You’ve not been this serious about anyone in a while, so just let yourself enjoy it and don’t ruin things by thinking too much. I bet you haven’t even worked up the nerve to actually talk to her over the phone yet, am I right?”

There was a long pause. “Alright, so no, but we’ve only been texting a few weeks and-”

“Nope, I’m gonna stop you right there. You need to just go for things, man. She’s the one that initiated this, right? I bet she was the one to give out her number first, too.”

“Okay, so you know I’m a coward. Good for you,” Ben huffed. Man, did his brother have to always be so annoying and right all of the time?

“Look, I’m not trying to make fun of you. I’m trying to help you. You be the one to take the next step. Actually _call_ her. You can’t tell me you don’t want to know what her voice sounds like.”

“Of course I do.”

“Then grow a pair and do it. I just want you to be happy, man. Maybe this is your chance. Don’t fuck it up.”

“God, okay I won’t. Geez.”

“Hey…” His voice got softer. “So, have you told her, you know, about Ice Town?”

Ben felt his insides twist. He’d been living in blissful denial about that whole situation, so thanks Henry for bringing that all back up. “No, of course not. She knows her stuff. She’ll know just how badly I fucked up and I’m not ready for that yet. If it gets serious, I’ll tell her, but I want to wait as long as possible and hope that she likes me enough to not let that ruin everything.”

“Okay, yeah, makes sense. Just don’t wait too long, okay? If she really likes you, that won’t change because you screwed up when you were a kid. You’ve done so much since then to make up for it. She’ll have to see that.”

“Gee, when did you get to be so loving and concerned?”

“Must be impending fatherhood,” Henry smirked. “Turned me into a softy. Oh, hey, Trace needs me. Her sex drive lately has been-”

“Nope! Stop it right there.”

Henry laughed. “Fine I’ll spare you the details. But seriously, call her. And tell her thank you for helping you out with those outfits. We love them. Let me know how it goes.”

“Yeah, yeah, fine. Go to your wife. Tell her and the baby I say hi.”

“Will do. Talk to you later.”

“Bye.”

With a sigh, Ben tossed his phone on the bed. He hated when his brother was right, because he totally was right. He just needed to stop being a coward.

Looking back down at his phone, he noticed that he had already missed three texts from her.

_Ben!!! You home yet? We got the sprinklers we wanted. I must admit that my negotiating skills are top notch. I proposed we go with the most expensive setup, they countered with the cheapest, and we met in the middle...which was the system I wanted in the first place._

Yeah, he was smiling like an idiot, but only she would be so happy about sprinkler systems. God, she was adorable.

_That’s awesome! Those are some A+ negotiating techniques right there. Congrats. And yeah, I just got home._

_Oh! Nice. Good day?_

_Yeah, really good day. What are you up to? You busy right now?_

_Nope! Just working on some scrapbooks. I fell really far behind preparing for this sprinkler system meeting. Why, what’s up?_

He took a deep breath, Henry’s words tumbling around in his head. He could do this. He ignored the shaking of his hands as he typed or the pounding of his heart. This was Leslie, and she was worth it.

_I’m about to do something that might be absolutely crazy, but I’ve been wanting to do it for a really long time, and I think I’m just going to go for it._

_Whoa, sounds serious. Do I get any clues as to what you’re going to do. Don’t die, though. I like you too much to have you die ;)_

He smiled and that little line was all it took to edge him on. His finger hovered over the call button, and with one more deep breath, he pressed it and held the phone up to his ear.

It rang a few times before he heard the most amazing sound in the entire world.

“Hello? Ben?” Her voice was heavenly, and it sounded like she was a little surprised and nervous, but also really, really excited.

“Uh, yeah, hey.” He cleared his throat and rolled his eyes. Wow, great start. You probably sound like an idiot to her and-

“Oh my God! Hi, sorry I’m just really excited and surprised and...wow, hi!”

“Yeah, I’ve been wanting to have to guts to call you for...a while now, and I finally did. I hope this is okay and I didn’t-”

“No!” She cut him off quickly, and dare he hoped...eagerly? “No, this is fine. Great, even. Wow, yeah, I’ve been wanting to talk to you, too.”

“Good.” He loud out a long, relieved breath. “So, uh, h-how are you?”

“I’m doing a lot better now than I was about five minutes ago. You?”

He chuckled, and for a second, he swore he heard her gasp a little. “Yeah, same for me, too. So, scrapbook, huh? How’s that going?”

“Good! I’m finally catching up on the ones for the last few Parks events. I’ve been kind of busy lately with actual work stuff and meetings and...other stuff.”

“Oh, other stuff? Good “other stuff”?

She giggled and good lord, he could just die right then and there a fulfilled man. 

“Yeah, really good, really cute other stuff. As a matter of fact, this “other stuff” is distracting me again right now, and you know what?”

“What?”

“I don’t care one bit.”

He laughed again and shook his head.”That’s good. Oh! So my brother called me earlier and said he and Trace loved the outfits I sent, and uhm, he wanted me to thank you for helping pick them out. He knew I didn’t have that kind of style on my own. I bet he was expecting something in plaid.”

Her breath hitched again. “Your, uh, your brother knows about me?”

Crap. All of a sudden his tie felt like it was choking him and he yanked it off. “Uhm, yeah, I accidentally let it slip that you had helped me pick them out and he got all nosy, and I’m sorry if that makes you uncomfortable.”

“No, it doesn’t. It’s just nice I guess that you thought to mention me.”

“I did. I told him all about you. I hope that’s okay. You’re...very special to me now, and I guess he could sense that. Typical older brother butting in and wanting details. He-he’s the one that said I should just suck it up and call you.”

She giggled again, and yup, still one of the most amazing sounds in the universe. “Well, tell him thank you for me, then. And if it makes you feel less guilty, Ann knows about you, too. Like _all_ about you. And she approves.”

“Yeah?” He could hardly talk he was smiling so much. He needed to remember to call up Henry and thank him for being a pain in the ass.

“Yeah.”

They talked for over an hour about anything and everything. He knew that she was easy to talk to, but he secretly worried that maybe that wouldn’t translate well over into actual conversation. But nope, it was perfect.

_Leslie_ was perfect.

She actually whined a little when she said she had to go because there was an emergency at Ramsett Park due to an underwater pipe burst that she had to help take care of. He, little old Ben Wyatt, made Leslie whine about having to go handle a work emergency.

“But, uhm, I’ll try to talk to you tomorrow. Is that okay?” she asked, and Ben had to swallow the lump in his throat.

“Yeah, yeah definitely, that’s perfect. I’ll be around.”

“Okay, good! I’ll call you tomorrow. Uh, thank you, again, for calling. This was...this was really great.”

“Yeah, it definitely was.”

He could tell neither wanted to hang up, but she had to, and when the line went dead, he flopped back on his bed and smiled at the ceiling.

He felt seventeen again, lying in his room daydreaming about Cindy Eckert. But this was better, because he was thinking about Leslie Knope. He thought about her voice and that laugh, and _fuck_ he couldn’t help it. His pants started to feel tight and no matter how much he tried to will it away, it only made him think about her more. Her hair, her eyes, the curve of her hip barely visible in her parks picture.

Ben bit his lip and undid his pants, sliding his hand down his boxers and grasping himself. He felt a little guilty thinking about her like this, but it just felt so, so good. He stroked himself, imagining her voice in his head, wondering--wishing that one day he’d have this with her in person, that he'd know what it would feel like to have her hand around him, hear that voice whisper in his ear, to make her sigh and scream and feel as good as he did right now.

That night he came harder than he had in weeks, with Leslie's face in his mind and her name on his lips.

~~~~~

Ben balanced his phone between his cheek and shoulder while he ate his dinner and watched Jeopardy with Leslie.

That was their new routine. They’d spend a few hours almost every night talking while they watched the same thing on tv or just went about their evening rituals.

“Who is Archimedes?” Ben said outloud to both his television and Leslie, and groaned when the contestant got the question incorrect.

“Wow, okay, nerd,” Leslie teased. “Not everyone is a math geek like you and knows who had the most accurate derivation of pi.”

He chuckled and shoveled another forkful of his dinner into his mouth. “Oh, I’m the nerd because I knew about pi, but you’re not a nerd for knowing when Mt Rushmore National Park was established? Doesn’t seem right.”

“Uhm, excuse me Ben, but parks are literally my life. Of course I know when all of the national parks were established.”

“Yeah, well, math is literally what I do for a living, too, so…”

She sighed and answered the next Jeopardy question. “Yeah, well, you’re still a nerd. An adorable nerd, but a nerd nonetheless.”

“Leslie, we’re eating dinner in front of our televisions and watching Jeopardy together over the phone. And yesterday it was C-SPAN. I think we can fairly say that we’re _both_ adorable nerds.”

“Yeah,” she said slowly, “I think you might have a point.”

They took turns answering the next few questions before it went a commercial break.

“Uhm, hey, so I found out some good news today,” Ben said, putting his plate down on the table.

“Oh, yeah? What is it? Tell me!”

“Well, looks like we’ve done all that we can here, so my boss told me and Chris that we should be back in Indianapolis by mid-next week.”

She squealed and Ben actually had to pull the phone away from his ear. “That’s awesome! You finally get to go home.”

“Yeah. It won’t be for too long, though. I think next weekend I’m supposed to get my new assignment, but I should still be home for a few weeks. It’ll be nice.”

She sighed into the receiver. It was her happy, contented sigh. It boggled his mind that he even knew that. “That’s so great. I’m really happy for you.”

He coughed a little and dragged his hand across his mouth. “Yeah, so, uhm, that got me thinking. Since I’ll be back home and a lot closer...see, I was wanting to see if maybe you’d...Do you think you’d want to, maybe, possibly, if you’ve got time of course and aren’t busy and-”

“Ben! Just ask me.”

He grinned then, and let out the breath he didn’t realize he had been holding. She was good, this one.

“Leslie Knope, would you do me the honor of going out with me next Saturday evening? Or Sunday? Or honestly anytime? Whenever you’re free. I just really want to meet you in person.”

“Yes, I’d love to.” He heard ruffling papers in the background and knew she was checking her schedule. “I’m free Saturday night if that still works for you?”

Oh, god, this was actually happening. She said yes. Jesus Christ.

“Ben, you okay?”

Fuck, he still had to actually answer her. He really needed to get his act together or he’d never survive their actual date.

Shit, he was going on a date with Leslie Knope.

“Uhm, yeah, sorry. I’m just...shocked and excited and forgot how to use words for a second there.”

Leslie laughed again, the sound that was more of a wicked little cackle that he loved more than almost anything else. “It’s okay. I’m kind of freaking out, too. In a good way.”

“At least I’m not the only one. Uhm, yeah Saturday works great for me. I don’t mind driving down to Pawnee, or if you want to meet in the middle someplace--”

“No, don’t be silly,” she cut him off. “You’ll have just gotten home after being away for months. I can drive up to Indy and we can do something there.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to impose.”

“Of course I’m sure. How about this, we do Indy the first time, and then our next will be here in Pawnee. We’ll set aside a whole day and I’ll show you around and take you to all of my parks, and then you get to experience JJs for the first time.”

He gulped. “Next time?”

“Yup. Some people call me an optimist, but I have a really good feeling that this won’t be our only date.”

“I hope that feeling is right.” God, did he hope that feeling was right. He was literally about to explode from excitement. They hadn’t even had their first date yet and here she was planning their second.

“I’m usually right about most things.”

“Well, then I’m already looking forward to _both_ of our dates. How about this, I’ll let you know when I get back to Indy and then we can nail down a time and place. That work for you?”

“Yup, sounds like a plan. I’m already blocking off all of Saturday afternoon and evening for you. Oh, my god, this is exciting.”

“I know what you mean.”

There were a few seconds of silence, but it wasn’t the awkward kind he was always afraid of.

“Well,” she said, “I have to head over to Ann’s for our girl’s night. Boy is she gonna be happy about this. Not as happy as me, but pretty close. So, uh, wow I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’ll see you later, Benjamin...Ben.”

“See you later Lesliemin...Leslie.”

She ended the call with a soft goodbye, and after putting his phone down, Ben had the incredible urge to just start jumping up and down on his bed, or run around like a madman and embrace everyone in sight.

Was this the kind of joy and excitement that Chris felt all of the time? No wonder he was always so happy and eager to hug.

Instead, Ben settled for holding his pillow to his chest and smiling and laughing every time he thought about their upcoming date, which was about every 7 seconds or so.

His giddiness eventually settled down, and he laid back, resting his head on threaded fingers. He was finally going to meet Leslie, the woman who had been occupying his thoughts almost constantly for weeks, finally going out on a date with her.

He sat up quickly. Good Lord, he was going on a date with Leslie Knope.

He needed to tell someone. He reached for his phone again and called his brother.

“Henry? You’ll never guess what just happened....”


	7. The Final Countdown

“Ann! Ann, open up! Annnnnnn!”

Leslie knocked frantically and the fifteen seconds it took Ann to get her slow but also very lovely ass to the door felt like an eternity.

“Geez, Leslie, calm down. I’m here, I’m here. God, it’s just girls night. You can wait another thirty seconds for junk food and margaritas.”

Leslie shook her head as she barged through the front door trying to catch her breath after sprinting up the driveway. Man, was she out of shape.

“No, it’s not that,” she panted, collapsing on the couch. “It’s Ben. He did it. He, woo boy, I’m in bad shape. He asked me out!”

“What!” Ann shrieked. “When? Details!”

“Just before I got over here. We were talking and watching Jeopardy like we do almost every night-”

“Sure.”

“And he was telling me that his assignment is almost over so he’ll be back in Indy for a few weeks starting next week. I was just telling him how happy and excited I was that he was finally getting to go home, and he got all cute and nervous and could barely talk and finally asked me out for next weekend!”

The two let out a few more screams and giggles of excitement.

“Oh my God, Leslie, that’s awesome!”

“I know,” Leslie said with a sigh, hugging one of Ann’s throw pillows, “and you’d have been so proud of me. I acted so confident. I bet he couldn’t even tell how nervous I was.”

“That’s so great. I can’t believe this is finally happening. Did you decide on where and what you’re going to do?”

“Not exactly. He said he could drive down or meet me halfway, but I couldn’t ask him to do that after he’s been on the road for so long, so I offered to drive up Saturday night. He’s gonna let me know a time and place once he get’s back home. I already told him that our next date was going to be here in Pawnee and I’ll show him around.”

“Oooo, already planning that next date. I’m loving this confident Leslie right now.”

“Right?! Because it just  _ has _ to go well. It’s Ben. I feel like I know him so much already, so there’s no reason that this shouldn’t go amazingly perfect.” Suddenly, she felt sick. “Oh, God, what if it doesn’t, though? Oh my God, what if it just goes horribly, terribly wrong and I say something stupid or light my sleeve on fire or he’s rude to the wait staff or-”

“Hey, would you stop,” Ann said, grabbing Leslie by her shoulders. “Just relax. You were doing so well. Calm down. None of that’s gonna happen. This isn’t like your typical first date. You  _ know _ Ben. You’ve talked to him practically every day for over a month. Okay, so you’re gonna be a little nervous. So will he. You might say something a little stupid, so will he. Just hope that wherever you go doesn’t have candles, or wear something sleeveless. And you know he’s not a rude person. I’m sure he’ll be perfectly polite with the wait staff, okay? You do this every time and psych yourself up.”

Leslie took a few deep, calming breaths. “Yeah, sorry, you’re right. I’m just really nervous. I like him so much, and I don’t want anything to mess this up.”

Ann nodded and pulled Leslie into a hug. Ann really did give the greatest hugs. “I know you don’t, and you  _ won’t _ . You are such an amazing person, Leslie, and he has to see that. He must have for it to have gone this long already. Just by what you’ve told me so far of your emails and texts and conversations, he’s totally smitten with you. Just be yourself. He  _ likes _ that.”

Leslie bit her lip nervously before eventually smiling. “Yeah, you’re right, of course you’re right. I don’t know why I continue to doubt your sage-like wisdom.”

Ann stood up and patted Leslie’s knee. “Honestly, I don’t either. Now, this calls for an extra celebratory shot of tequila in those margaritas.”

“Yesssss!”

Several margaritas later, Leslie sat with her head on Ann’s shoulder on the couch, some sappy romantic comedy playing on the TV. She smiled when her phone went off beside her.

_ So I come back from my game of Boggle with Chris to several text messages from a certain yellow-haired someone, each getting progressively harder and harder to understand. Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but are you drunk texting me? _

Leslie giggled and took another large gulp of her drink.

_ Mayyyyybbbbeeee….To be fair, it is girls night and there’s extra alcohol because we’re celebrating the fact that a certain chestnut haired charmer finally asked me out. And just so you know, drunk texting rules totally apply, so if I say anything stupid or embarrassing, it doesn’t count. _

_ So I don’t get to tease you that you called me a chestnut haired charmer? _

_ “Oh, no, I meant that one. I’d call you that sober any day. _

_ Haha! Good to know. _

Leslie held out her phone and smiled with her glass held up next to her face.

“What are you doing?” Ann giggled next to her.

“I’m taking a picture to send to Ben,” Leslie slurred. “He likes it when I send him pictures.”

“Thass sooo cute. You two are adorable together.”

“I knowwww. Oh! He sent me one back. Aww look at him. So adorable with his beer.”

_ Drinking alone because Chris refuses to drink beer since it’s just ‘terrible carb-filled bread in liquid form, Ben Wyatt’ but still had to do my own celebrating. Cheers! _

Ann smiled. “That’s so adorkable.”

“What?!” Leslie cackled uncontrollably. “What’s that even mean?”

“Come on! It’s a cross between dork and adorable. All of the kids are saying it nowadays. Hey, you think if he gets drunk enough he’ll send you a dick pic?”

“Ann! I for one am very happy that he hasn’t sent me any unsolicited dick pics.”

Ann waggled her eyebrows. “Yeah, but if he’s drunk and you  _ ask _ for them, then they aren’t unsolicited. Come on, you can’t tell me you aren’t the least bit curious.”

Leslie giggle for the thousandth time and pushed Ann’s shoulder. “Of course I’m curious, but I can wait.”

“So, you totally want to sleep with him.”

WIth a grin, Leslie took another sip of her margarita. “I’m, like, 85% sure that I want to sleep with him. If date one goes well, I can see us taking that next step maybe by date two or three.”

“Okay, that seems fair. But you’re at least gonna make out with him after the first date, right?”

“If he turns out to be half as amazing as he seems now, I’m  _ totally _ gonna make out so hardcore with him.”

Ann winked. “That’s what I like to hear.”

Yeah, she thought to herself, in only a few days, she was definitely gonna make out with that face.

~~~~~

The phone buzzed on Leslie’s desk.

_ Hey, you. Guess what? _

_ Oooo what? _

He sent her an awkwardly angled picture of himself face down on a bed, but a different bed than the one at his motel.

_ I’m home!!!!! _

_ Yay!!!! How’s it feel? _

_ Feels pretty good except about five seconds after taking that picture I realized that those sheets are really old and dirty and kind of smell bad. So, new sheets and THEN I take a nice, long nap. _

_ Aww, poor baby. How was the drive back down? _

_ Pretty good. Long. And it was Chris’ turn to control the music, and he ended up just putting in a self-help meditation yoga breathing thing. It was not the best, but thankfully we made it back alive. Oh, and I have some more good news. _

_ Well...tell me. Don’t keep me in suspense! _

_ Wellllll.... I called ahead and was able to get us a reservation at one of my favorite Italian places in the city for 6 o’clock….wait. Crap. You like Italian food, right? And does six work for you? I probably should have asked before making the reservation, but if you don’t I can cancel it and we can do something else. I thought it was a little romantic, but I probably should have asked first… _

God, he was the worst, but in a great way that really made her want to kind of shut up his ramblings with her mouth...on his mouth.

_ Would you stop worrying! I love Italian food and six works perfectly. I only have one condition. _

_ Yes, name it. Anything. _

_ NO calzones on the first date, okay? Save that for like maybe a third or fourth ;) _

_ *Sigh* I guess I can abide by that very specific and almost unfair condition. They make a mean chicken parm, so you’re lucky I’ll have options. But this means that we can update the official date countdown to three days, three hours and forty-five minutes. _

Damn was that man sexy when he talked numbers like that. And those weren’t just  _ any  _ numbers either.

She still couldn’t believe it. Only three days, three hours and...forty-four minutes until she finally met that adorable number's robot in person.

~~~~~

“Oh my God, I have nothing to wear. Absolutely nothing. Ann, help me please. Tell me what to wear.”

Ann sighed from her spot on Leslie’s bed. “Leslie, you have plenty of nice outfits. Just remember our rules: no cargo pants, no hats, and no super long or elaborate scarves.”

“You’ve just eliminated half of my wardrobe! Now I have no idea for sure. This is a disaster. Maybe I should just call and cancel. Either that or show up naked.”

“I don’t know why I thought this might turn out differently,” Ann mumbled to herself and before walking over to Leslie’s closet. “Okay, you’ve got a lot of options here. He told you where you’re going, right?”

“Yeah.”

“And did you look it up to see about the dress code?”

“It’s a really nice place. So definitely maybe a little more on the dressy side?”

“Hmm, okay.” Ann started going through the various clothes in Leslie’s closet. “Oh, and do you remember everything else we talked about?”

“Yes, Ann,” Leslie sighed. “No whipping out my conversation topic note cards, no outrageous, nervous lies including making up family members that don’t exist, and nothing too heavy on the onion and garlic in case we make out. Got it.”

“Good. Remember, you already know him. Yeah, you’ll be a little nervous, but don’t forget that you guys are already friends. Don’t try to force anything. Let it happen naturally.”

“I’m just so worried that I’ve built this up so much in my head. I don’t want anything to go wrong.”

Ann turned around a put her hand on Leslie’s shoulder. “I can understand that. But you have to remember that this is real life, and sometimes things don’t go exactly as planned. That doesn’t make it  _ bad _ . Don’t build up something unattainable in your head only to be disappointed when it doesn’t reach those impossible expectations. You’re super great and awesome and he already likes you and this is just gonna make him like you even more. Unless he turns out to be a jerk in disguise. Then you’re too good for him and good riddance.”

“He’s not a jerk,” Leslie said with a little smile.

“Good, then you have nothing to worry about. Oh, this is perfect.” Ann moved some hangers around before pulling out a red dress. “It’s not too fancy but still really nice, and shorter sleeves which can’t possibly catch fire. Plus, you look amazing in red. You’ll knock him out for sure.”

Ann did have a point. She looked really good in that dress.

“You sure it’s not too much?”

“Are you kidding me? No way. We can pair these up with the right shoes and he’ll drop dead the second he sees you. Not quite “fuck me” pumps, but more along the lines of “make out with me and go home wanting to fuck me” pumps.”

“Is that even a thing?”

Ann dug deep into her closet (okay, yeah, she needed to do a better job of organizing it, what else is new) and pulled out a pair of heels that she hadn’t worn in ages.

“Yup. These right here will work perfectly.”

Leslie groaned and flopped backwards onto her bed just as her phone buzzed.

It was a picture of Ben staring at his watch with the caption  _ 4 hours eighteen minutes and 23...22...21… _

Ugh, this nerd. How was it that he just knew exactly what to say and when to say it. This wasn’t some blind date or a meet up with someone she barely knew. This was...Ben.

Ann nudged her foot and held up the dress and shoes. “You ready?”

She looked down again at the picture on her phone. “Yeah, I’m ready.”

Only 4 hours, sixteen minutes and thirty seconds to go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The date is coming up on the next chapter, I PROMISE. Thanks for sticking with me <3


	8. First Date Rules Don't Apply

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their date was only hours away--four hours, twenty-four minutes and 43 seconds away to be exact, and he was becoming a bigger mess with every passing second.

His watch had to be broken. That along with every single clock in this entire city. Maybe the whole universe was just broken, the rotation of the earth around its axis and revolution around the sun somehow off kilter because that was the only way to explain why every minute felt like an eternity. 

Their date was only hours away--four hours, twenty-four minutes and 43 seconds away to be exact, and he was becoming a bigger mess with every passing second.

Nothing seemed to help pass the time, either. Not rewatches of his favorite shows or movies, not browsing Internet forums, not even balancing his checkbook could distract him long enough. 

His outfit was already set out and ready, his pants, jacket, and shirt clean and wrinkle free, his tie tasteful but not too rigid and boring. At least, he thinks? He normally just wore plaid and a basic tie everyday, so he might not be the authority on fashion, but that’s what the internet--and Henry--told him, at least.

He had run his hands through his hair so many times he knew he was going to have to redo it before he left and pray that it lasted through the twenty minute ride to the restaurant.

The last few days had been their own form or torture. Being between assignments meant little work, which roughly translated to more time to think about this date. At least up until Wednesday he was so busy tying up loose ends before leaving that it took his mind off of things. But once the joy of finally being home wore off, that gnawing feeling in the pit of his stomach came back with a vengeance.

He had spent the last few days cleaning his apartment from top to bottom, wiping away the months worth of dust and grime. But even that did little to distract him since he spent half of the time convincing himself that he was in no way cleaning on the off chance that he’d be bringing Leslie back here. He  _ probably _ wouldn’t be, but, you never know. If that’s where things were going to go…

Ben sighed and tugged at his hair again. If he was this high strung now, how was he possibly going to survive actually seeing her, talking to her with only inches between them as opposed to miles. 

He wanted to touch her, know what perfume she liked to wear, make her smile and see it with his own eyes. Taste her. God, he wanted to know what Leslie Knope’s lips tasted like and how soft they would feel against his own and--

Fuck.

How did this even happen? How did some random message from a woman he was matched with on a site he never wanted to join in the first place turn into...all this?

It was supposed to just be something to try, maybe someone to talk to for a little while until it fizzled out like everything else seemed to in his life. But it hadn’t, and if he was being honest with himself, it scared him.

He hadn’t felt anything like this in a long time, and definitely not with someone he’d never actually met. She consumed his thoughts daily, more so than even some actual girlfriends he’s had in the past.

But with one email, Leslie Knope wormed her way into his life and just...stayed there. It was weird that after only a few weeks, it felt like she knew him better than anyone, and what blew him away even more was that she  _ wanted _ to know him. She wanted to know everything about him. He got that it was a part of her generous personality, but it still felt...nice. He forgot what it was like to have someone care again, even if it wasn’t necessarily romantic.

Don’t get him wrong, Ben certainly  _ hoped _ it was romantic, and he had a feeling Leslie did too, but still. She just cared about things so much, it boggled his mind. Getting texts from her at all hours because something reminded her of him made his heart swell, and she remembered the most random, seemingly insignificant details about him that he doubted even his own mother cared to know.

You know what she told him the other day? That she was saving all of the pictures he was sending her to eventually make a scrapbook. A fucking scrapbook. She valued him and their...whatever their relationship was so much she wanted to make a scrapbook to remember him by.

Yeah, she was kind of drunk when she told him that and would probably be a little embarrassed if she remembered that he knew, but that was besides the point. She  _ liked _ him. 

It took a while for him to wrap his head around that fact. He wasted enough time denying it so he wouldn’t get his hopes up, but it was true. It had to be, and now all he had to worry about was messing everything up. 

No pressure.

Ben looked down at his watch again and yup, it had to be broken. There was no way only a few minutes had passed during his angst-ridden inner monologue.

He wondered what Leslie was up to right now. Was it too soon for her to get ready? He had no idea how long those things actually took. Was she freaking out as much as he was? He hoped so just for the sake of his own sanity.

It was hard, but he resisted talking to her much today just so he wouldn't overwhelm her before their date that night, but that urge was back. That urge to connect with her in away way possible. It was slowly becoming something akin to an addiction, an intolerable craving that could only be satisfied by her.

He grabbed his phone and held it out to snap a picture while he stared intently at his watch. She found his “date countdown” oddly cute, so he figured he might as well break the ice today by continuing the theme.

_ 4 hours eighteen minutes and 23...22...21… _

Yeah, he smiled at his own lame attempts at interacting with her, but they weren’t lame to Leslie. She loved it. And if she was  _ half _ as nervous as he was about their date, maybe this would help.

_ You’re such a nerdy little number’s robot. Thanks for that, though. I needed it. Ann’s yelling at me to put the phone away and leave some mystery for tonight, so I better go. She’s helping me get ready because she doesn’t necessarily trust my first date judgement. Okay, she’s threatening to take and hide the phone. I’ll see you tonight!!!! (boy does that feel really awesome to say) _

Oh, Leslie, if only you knew, Ben thought to himself. He could do this. He could totally do this. Yeah, it’s been a little while since he went on a first date, but this was Leslie. She already knew everything about him and still wanted to go out. 

Well, almost everything.

So, what exactly was the appropriate timeline for telling someone that you got elected mayor at eighteen and then destroyed the livelihood of thousands of people by bankrupting the city to build a giant ice rink? You’d think after all of this time he’d know the answer to that by now.

But honestly, sometimes it never came up. It didn’t really seem all that important to some people, but Leslie was different than most. This was something he’d been dreading since almost the beginning, but he knew he had to be honest with her if their relationship was going to go anywhere.

So he promised himself right then that if tonight went well, he’d tell her because she deserved to know.

But for now, all he had to do was get through the next 4 hours, thirteen minutes and 27 seconds.

~~~~~

There was still twenty minutes to go when he walked into the restaurant, but Ben should have known he wouldn’t beat Leslie.

There she was, sitting not twenty feet away from him at the bar.

Despite the fact that she was looking nervously around the room between glances at her watch, she didn’t notice him yet, and that gave him the perfect opportunity to just take her all in.

Her blonde hair was even more magnificent in person, perfectly curled and styled; the lips she kept pulling nervously between her teeth a soft shade of pink. Her red dress hugged her body in all of the right places, and the color just made everything pop. 

To say that she made him breathless would be a bit cliche, but that didn’t make it any less true. Everything about her was beautiful, making his stomach bottom out and his hands sweat.

She sighed and turned around to face the bar again to sip her drink. With her back to him, Ben finally walked towards her, taking deep, even breaths to try and calm his nerves. He got close enough that he could even smell the sweet, almost fruity fragrance of her perfume, and it made his body warm.

“I should have known I wouldn’t beat you here,” he leaned over and said close enough that she could hear without invading her personal space.

She jumped a little and then froze like she was registering that it was really his voice she heard.

Her shoulders heaved before she turned around, and dear Lord, he was inches away from Leslie Knope.

And she was smiling at him. He didn’t think he’d ever seen anyone look that happy to see him before.

“Hi,” she breathed, almost like she didn’t know what else to say.

“Hi,” he answered back lamely, because, honestly, he didn’t know what else to say either. He was literally stunned speechless. If he thought she was beautiful before, now she was...indescribable. 

Their eyes stayed locked until Leslie finally looked away and laughed softly. “Sorry, I’m just--this is weird.” She looked back up with wide, panicked eyes. “Not bad weird. No, definitely not bad weird. Good weird. I mean, you’re  _ here _ . You, Ben Wyatt, are right here in front of me and it’s…”

“Weird?” He offered with a grin and she nodded with her own shy smile.

“Yeah. Sorry, I’m not usually this awkward and nervous and tongue tied. First dates just bring out the worst in me sometimes, which is terrible because you’re usually trying to be at your best and--” She just sighed again and took another sip from her glass. “Oh! This isn’t alcohol. It’s just water. I got here about a half hour ago and needed something to do to calm myself down. Last time I drank before a first date, it didn’t go so well, so, yeah, I’m not drinking.”

Poor thing looked like she wanted to disappear and all it did was just make Ben want her even more. She was so genuine and lovely and...shit, he was running out of adjectives.

“Hey, it’s okay to be a little nervous. I’m nervous too that any minute you'll realize you're too good for me and walk out. I mean, you’ve got to feel how bad my hand is shaking.” The corner of her mouth quirked. “But it’s just me. We know each other. Yeah this is our first time meeting, but I’m still the same Ben that told you all about his comic book collection.”

She searched his face, almost like she was really seeing him tonight for the first time. “Yeah, you are. And that’s good, because I like that Ben.”

“Well, so far I’ve liked every single Leslie I’ve seen, too.”

She looked away and blushed, curling a piece of hair behind her ear.

“Well,” Ben said clearing his throat and taking the empty seat next to Leslie at the bar, “the host said our table wouldn’t be ready for another few minutes, and our date has officially begun, so feel free to trade that water in for something stronger.”

She smiled again, and yeah, he’s pretty sure he’d never get tired of seeing that.

“No, I’m good,” she said. “I’ll probably get some wine with dinner, but I don’t want to overdo it yet.”

He nodded and ordered a beer from the bartender, needing something to calm his nerves.

“Uh, so how was your drive up?” he asked after taking a sip from the bottle.

"It was good. Didn't really hit much traffic, but I kind of left early enough to give myself time anyway. Ann said I didn't need to get here an hour early, but I got ready and figured I'd just come."

"You look beautiful, by the way. I didn’t necessarily want that to be the first thing I said to you, but it was definitely one of the first things I thought when I walked in.”

She smiled again and brought the straw between her lips. It was the fucking sexiest thing he’d ever seen. “Saw me across a crowded room kind of thing?”

“Yeah,” he laughed, “something like that.”

Leslie reached out and ran a hand across the shoulder of his jacket. “You clean up pretty nicely, too. Different than all of those plaid shirts and skinny ties you always wear. Don’t get me wrong, those are great, too, but right now you look very handsome.”

Christ. Leslie Knope was touching him. She was touching him and telling him that he looked nice. No, not nice.  _ Handsome _ . She thought he was handsome.

Keep it cool, Wyatt, he said to himself. Stay calm, and for the love of God, stop sweating.

“Thanks,” he answered with a half smile. “To be fair, Henry made me send him a picture of what I was wearing because he didn’t trust me all that much, either.”

Ah, yes, there was that cackle he loved so much. He’d fallen asleep talking to her on the phone and had  _ dreams _ of that cackle. 

“Well, tell Henry he did a good job. Luckily he had something pretty great to work with.”

He just shrugged and smiled again, hoping his cool indifference was working and it wasn’t obvious that he wanted to rejoice at the top of his lungs.

“It’s not everyday a gorgeous woman compliments me like that. I’ll let him know that you approve.”

“Oh, I approve very much. And I’ll let Ann know that she did a good job, too.”

“Please do,” he said after taking another sip of his beer. “Maybe one of these days they’ll let us dress ourselves.”

“Hopefully. I think we made good enough first impressions to convince them.”

That was the understatement of the century. He’s pretty sure Leslie could be dressed in a garbage bag and still be the most gorgeous, intriguing person in any room she walked into.  

“Uh, yeah, I would say so.”

Leslie looked back to her glass and started playing with her straw while Ben peeled at the label on his bottle.

“This is hard,” Leslie said, breaking the silence. “I already know so much about you, so typical first date questions and rules don’t really work.”

“I think we just have to not act like this is a first date and just talk like we normally do. It’ll be no different than one of our phone calls, except we got all dressed up and get some awesome food with it.”

“You’re right. So, no first date rules?”

“Nope. No first date rules.”

Leslie pulled out her phone from her purse. “Okay, good. Because right about now I’d be telling you about this amazing guy I’m out on a date with, and of course, I’d have to send you a picture.” 

She waved him to come closer and she wrapped an arm around his shoulder, moving her cheek just the smallest distance away from his own. He couldn’t stop his arm from wrapping around her waist as Leslie held the phone out in front of her.

“Okay, smile! We need something to remember this night by.”

As if he could possibly forget. Leslie’s arm was draped across his shoulders, the bare skin of her arm brushing against the back of his neck, and his hand was touching her hip. He could feel her breathing next to him, that’s how close she was. 

She put her hand down once the picture was taken, pulling the other off of Ben’s shoulder, but she still stayed close. For some reason that was probably beyond his control, his arm stayed loosely draped around her waist. She didn’t seem to mind.

“Aww, it’s good!” Leslie said showing him her screen, and he had to agree. God, they were so close, and his smile was more than genuine. How could he  _ not _ smile with Leslie barely three inches away from him.

And of course she looked amazing. That smile could raise the dead.

“It does,” he said evenly. “Can you send it to me?”

“Of course. This is another one for the scrapbook.” She looked over at him and rolled her eyes when he smirked. “Yes, I do remember telling you that. I was drunk enough to tell you but unfortunately not drunk enough to forget about it.”

“No, it’s fine. It’s cute, actually. I like that about you. You treat everything like it’s extra special.”

“Everything  _ is  _ extra special, and I want to be able to look back and remember it.” She busied herself with her phone and cleared her throat. “And, uh, you’re someone that I want to remember.”

She pulled her lip into her mouth and chewed it while she spent far too long sending the picture to Ben.

“Leslie Knope,” he said, lightly bumping her shoulder, “I don’t think I could forget about you even if I wanted to.”

She looked up and was about to reply when the host appeared and cleared his throat beside them. “Excuse me for interrupting, Mr. Wyatt, but your table is ready. If you two wouldn’t mind following me, please.”

Leslie hopped off her barstool, Ben standing up beside her. Their hands brushed, and he’s not sure how it happened or who even started it, but their fingers tangled with one another as they walked side by side behind the host. He glanced at Leslie out of the corner of his eye and saw her biting back a smile.

To be fair, he was pretty sure he was smiling, too, and the best part was that the date had barely even begun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part two of their first date told from Leslie's POV is coming soon.


	9. First Date Rules Don't Apply (II)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This was what she imagined when she pictured a perfect first date. No setting herself on fire, no guy showing up already with a date, no painfully awkward conversations. Just this.

She was laughing for what felt like the thousandth time that evening. It could have been because he was really funny--which he totally was--or because she was working on her third glass of wine and  _ everything _ was starting to be funny at that point.

But he was funny. And super nice and sweet and cute and adorable and...just really, really great. Leslie honestly couldn’t remember a first date going this well. Hell, she can probably count on one hand the number of dates that went this good period. 

That moment she first saw him at the bar, she felt like the wind had been knocked out of her. It was  _ Ben _ , in the flesh, in front of her, looking pretty damn fine in that suit. He was smiling at her like she figured she was smiling at him, and it made her feel so warm inside. 

Things were of course a little awkward at first, but by Leslie Knope first date standards, it didn’t even register on the scale. 

When he sat next to her, Leslie could smell the faint scent of his cologne or aftershave or soap or whatever it was that he used, and thank  _ God _ it wasn’t terrible and overbearing. It was pleasant and subtle, just like Ben. It was the kind of smell that just made her want to hold him close and bury her nose in the crook of his neck and-- whoa, okay, not the right time for this.

And he thought she was beautiful. The sincerity of his compliment alone made her feel like the most beautiful woman on the planet. Did she mention that he was also, super, super handsome?

She’s not sure what came over her when she whipped out her phone to take that picture, but she just heard Ann’s voice in her head telling her to go for it. Thank you wise and wonderful mental-Ann-voice.

It was risky pulling him close like that, but she hoped it wouldn’t seem weird under the guise of the picture. When his arm slipped around her waist, she was pretty sure her heart stopped beating. Her entire body broke out in goosebumps and the huge smile she had in the photo was 100% genuine. The fact that his hand didn’t move for a while after only made her happier.

_ Leslie Knope, I don’t think I could forget about you if I wanted to.  _ Those were real words. Said by Ben Wyatt’s gorgeous mouth. To her. 

She was kind of grateful that the host showed up when he did because she might have been about to say something stupid and rash and not first date appropropriate. 

But then again, holding hands on the way to their table might not be usual for a first date either, but that didn’t seem to matter. They were throwing out those rules anyway, remember? Which was great because Ben Wyatt was holding her hand. Or she was holding his hand? Leslie wasn’t sure about that part, but honestly, who the hell cared? It was definitely a thing that happened that they both seemed to really, really like.

Did she mention that he was ridiculously sweet and polite? It was one of those fancy restaurants where the host helps the lady into her seat, but she wouldn’t be surprised if Ben was at  least a little tempted to do that for her, too. He didn’t sit down until after she did.

They ordered some wine and browsed through the menu, and Ben was able to recommend some good non-calzone options, but not without Leslie cracking a few jokes and his expense. The wine was good, the food and conversation great, and now, two glasses of wine and half a plate of pasta into their date, things only seemed to be getting better.

“And I’m not kidding,” Ben said with his own chuckle, “I woke up with my fingers and toes painted bright pink, smeared lipstick on my face and blush caked onto my cheeks. That was the last time I forgot to lock my door when my sister had a sleepover.”

“Oh, my God,” Leslie cackled. “That’s ridiculous. I can’t believe you slept through that!”

“I slept like the dead when I was a teenager. It didn’t always work out too well for me.”

“Sibling dynamics always fascinated me like that. For most of my life, it was just me and my Mom.”

Ben shrugged. “It has its ups and downs. I was the typical middle child I guess, but we were a good support system for each other when things got bad between my parents.”

She smiled sadly. “I’m sorry. From everything you’ve told me, it sounds like that was a tough time.”

“Same with you. It can’t be easy losing your father like that.”

His eyes were sad and understanding, and she still couldn’t believe that she had told him so much about her father already. For some reason, she hoarded her memories of him, keeping them close and not really sharing them with people as if that made them more special to her. But when she and Ben started talking about their families, things just spilled out.

She swallowed hard. “It was. It happened so suddenly and it was really hard on my mom. But she’s tough and she did everything she could. She’s one of my heroes.”

“Well, she raised an amazingly strong and smart woman.”

God, seriously? She looked down and blushed again. Man, that wine was definitely getting to her. “Thank you. And you turned out okay. More than okay, I’d say.”

Ben nodded slowly and took a big gulp of his wine. “Yeah, I don’t know about that. It was a long, hard road. Did some pretty stupid stuff.”

“I think we’ve all done some stupid things in our lives, but as long as we learn from them and make ourselves better, we just have to keep moving forward.”

“I guess. Some people mess up more than others though. End up hurting a lot of people.”

Leslie eyes went wide. Was he talking about Ice Town? She didn’t dare bring that up, not yet, at least. But maybe she wouldn’t have to.

“Look,” Ben said after taking another drink, “I...I really like you and I definitely want to keep seeing you, and because of that I want to be completely open and honest with you. One of the things I really admire about you is your love and commitment to public service and wanting to make people’s lives better. You know how I said I wanted to run for office? Well, the truth is--well, you see, uhm…”

Poor guy was sweating even more than before and his voice was cracking. She could tell this was something hard for him, and the fact that he wanted to tell her all of this just made her like him even more.

“Ben-” she cut in, “it’s okay. I, uhm, I already know.”

“What?”

“I know...about Partridge and, you know, Ice Town and everything.”

He was cute when he furrowed his brow like that.

“You do? But..how? I don’t--”

“See, well, when we first started messaging, Ann looked you up on the internet. You know, just to make sure that you were a real person and weren’t going to murder me or anything. And we found out about...everything. I remember you, you know. I followed your election story. I never knew what happened after, but...Yeah, I know what happened.”

He stared at her for a few seconds in disbelief. “Y-you knew? You knew and you still wanted to keep talking to me?”

Now it was her turn to stare at him. “Of course I did.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I guess because it just didn’t seem right. I mean, we were still getting to know each other and I knew it would be a hard subject for you. I was just hoping that if things went...further between us, you’d tell me yourself. Look, Ben, I can’t even imagine how terrible that all was for you and what you went through. Some of those articles were really, really brutal. But it’s not all your fault. You were just a kid and yeah, it didn’t work out, but at least you tried something. And you’ve done so much since then to try to make up for it. That has to count for something.”

Ben sat back against his chair and let out a long sigh. “Wow, uhm, no one’s ever really said that to me before.”

“Well, it’s true. You...you’re a great guy. Really. And if people want to ignore that and all of the things you’ve done since then and focus on one mistake you made when you were a kid, well...then they’re stupid buttfaces.”

His lips quirked and he looked up at her through his lashes. “Stupid buttfaces, huh?”

“Yes. 100%, certified, stinking buttfaces. You’re amazing and it sucks that people can’t see past something you did almost twenty years ago despite everything you’ve done since then. But I believe that it’ll happen eventually. One day people will finally see you for who you are. Which is awesome.”

Ben kept his head down, and she really hoped that the wine hadn’t loosened up her tongue too much. She meant every word that she said, though, but maybe that was crossing a line somewhere. But when he looked up and smiled, she knew everything was okay.

“Thank you,” he said. “Really, thank you. That means a lot to me. Especially coming from you.”

“Well, I meant it,” she answered, returning his smile. “Every word.”

~~~~

“Oh, my God, I’m so full I can hardly move,” Leslie groaned as she and Ben walked out of the restaurant. Somehow her arm linked through his arm and it honestly felt like the most natural thing in the world.

“You didn’t  _ have _ to eat that dessert, you know.”

She looked up at him like he was crazy. 

“Okay, yeah,” he corrected himself, “I see your point.”

“It was delicious though. Well worth the stomach ache I feel now. Oh, and thank you for giving me your extra whipped cream. That was nice.”

“I like whipped cream as much as the next guy, but that was a little too much for me. At least this time it didn’t have to go to waste.”

It was as if the universe kept giving her signs why they’d be a great couple. Newest reason: he’d give her his extra whipped cream. It couldn’t get more perfect.

She was kind of distracted picturing eating whipped cream in bed with him when she heard his voice in the background.

“Sorry, what?”

“I asked what your drink chart said.  I think I’m just on the border to drive, so I can’t imagine you can.”

“Oh, yeah, I’m definitely not. But that’s okay if you need to go or-”

“No,” he cut her off quickly, “it’s not that at all. Tonight was all about our date. And, uh, if I’m being honest, I’m not ready for it to end yet.”

Good, because neither was she.

“Uhm, if you want,” he continued, “we could just walk around. It’s nice out. There’s a park a few blocks over-”

“White River State Park.”

Ben shook his head and smiled. “Uh, yeah that one. You really know your stuff.”

“I memorized all of the Indiana State Parks, and most of the parks in Indianapolis.”

He nodded like he wasn’t the least bit surprised. “Makes sense. So, shall we?”

Her arm stayed linked with his as they walked through the city and reached the park, and it was definitely Ben this time who moved up from arm linking to full blown hand holding.

His hands were so nice and big and warm, and it was definitely not the wine that was making her face feel flushed.

“Sorry I’m not much of a tour guide,” Ben said while they walked along the river. “You probably know more about this place than I do.”

“That’s probably true, but it’s still nice.”

“If I recall correctly, someone promised me that our second date would entail some guided park tours and a trip to JJ’s Diner.”

“Don’t worry,” she laughed. “If I have my way, there is a second date not far in our future. Especially if you have to go away again. I want to see as much of you as possible.”

That wasn’t too clingy, right?

He squeezed her hand. “That works perfectly fine for me. I need as many memories of us together before I go away again, too. I haven’t gotten my next assignment yet though. Who knows, maybe it’ll actually be closer to you this time.”

“That’d be so great! Do you have an idea when you’d be able to come to Pawnee?”

“Unless my next assignment turns out to be a last minute emergency, we usually have at least a week or two between getting the letters and actually leaving. I can probably do next weekend if that works for you.”

“Yes.”

She didn’t have to even think. She knew for a fact she had nothing on her schedule she couldn’t either cancel or move around. At least her coworkers would be happy to have a work-free weekend. 

“Great. I’m free whenever, so just let me know, okay?”

She nodded again, their pace slowing until they were standing in front of one another by the riverfront. 

“I've been having a really great time with you, Ben,” she said softly, tucking her hair behind her ear with her free hand.

“Me too. I haven't had this much fun in a really long time. Or connected with anyone like this.”

“Neither have I.”

When did they get so close? He was right in front of her, his gaze flicking between her eyes and lips.

Ben wanted to kiss her. It felt like the air between them suddenly got supercharged and, God, did she  _ want _ him to kiss her.

She tilted her head up a little more and licked her bottom lip in what she really hoped was a sly and sexy invitation. Before she even had the time to regret the garlic in her pasta sauce, Ben’s mouth was on hers and  _ dear Lord _ did that man know how to kiss.

It was soft at first, his slightly chapped lips barely brushing hers. Once her brain realized what was happening, her lips kissed back and she felt him sigh into her mouth. His hands weaved through her hair and pulled her impossibly close while hers grabbed onto the lapels of his jacket.

Everything was just so perfect. The moon bright and full, the sound of the river running next to them, Ben with his adorable face and perfectly kissable lips. 

_ This _ was what she imagined when she pictured a perfect first date. No setting herself on fire, no guy showing up already with a date, no painfully awkward conversations. Just this. 

“Wow,” he whispered, and Leslie had to smile because she’s pretty sure he didn’t mean to say that outloud. 

“Yeah, that was…”

“Yeah.”

His thumb stroked her cheek before he finally pulled away completely, his one hand going back to hold hers. They continued to walk, decidedly closer to one another than before and in a pleasant silence.

They looped the small walking path and found themselves once again at the park entrance.

“I’m definitely sober now and it’s getting late,” Leslie said wistfully. “I should probably head home soon.”

Ben sighed. “Yeah, you’ve got a bit of a drive ahead of you. You sure you’re okay?” 

“Yeah,” Leslie smiled. “I’m good. I’m, uh, I’m actually really good.”

Ben smirked and boy, did she really love his mouth. “Me too. Come on, I’ll walk you to your car.”

When they reached her car, they stood a bit awkwardly at the driver’s side door.

“Thank you again, Ben, for tonight. I had a really great time.”

“No, thank you. For everything.” He swallowed hard and ran a shaking hand through his hair. “I really like being with you.”

“Me, too. Uhm, so Ann helped me set up a Skype account. Do you have one of those?”

“Uh, yeah. I use it to talk to my brother and sister sometimes.”

“Oh, cool, cool. Do you think maybe we could-”

“Yes definitely,” he said eagerly. “I’d love to be able to talk to you and see your face, and you know, see you when we, uh, talk.”

Crap, even a nervous mess he was still adorable. 

“Good. Uhm, I’ll text you my screenname and then maybe we can set aside some times to talk. We still have to iron out the details for when you come visit me next weekend.”

“Yes, definitely.”

Ben shuffled a little bit closer and tilted his head down, Leslie closing the gap. Their noses brushed as they kissed again, this time much less eagerly. It was slow and soft and sweet, and yup, he definitely knew how to kiss. Jeez, if just an innocent kiss like this could make her toes curl, she couldn’t even imagine if--

That was one thing she could cross off her list of concerns. She was attracted to him mentally, emotionally, and  _ definitely _ physically. Off to a good start.

“Drive safe and let me know when you get home, okay?” he said when they pulled apart.

“I will.”

“I’ll see you soon.”

Did he realize how amazing it was to hear that? She wasn’t sure how she would survive the week.

“Yeah, I can’t wait. You just come prepared.”

She could see his eyes get just a little darker and his nostrils flared. “Oh, I’ll be prepared. I’m really looking forward to it.” He brought her hand to his lips. “Bye.”

“Bye.”

He stepped back and waited on the sidewalk until she got in and eventually pulled away, the two exchanging a quick wave as she drove off.

Leslie could still feel the tingle on her lips from when Ben kissed her-- _ twice _ \-- and she broke out into a wide grin. Be kissed her and liked her and they were going to see each other again.

She couldn’t wait to tell Ann.


	10. New Assignment

Ben stood on the curb, one hand shoved into his pocket while the other waved at Leslie as she drove away.

He was grinning like an idiot, he had to be. He could feel the pull of his lips that he couldn’t control because there was this-- _ happiness _ bubbling deep in his belly. 

He just went on a date with Leslie Knope, and it was good. Hell, more than good. It was great, amazing, perfect. Kind of like Leslie.

He ran his tongue over his bottom lip, the lip that Leslie had kissed. If he concentrated, he swore he could still taste a bit of the wine she had with dinner and the sweetness of her dessert.

Good Lord, he kissed her, and she kissed him back-- _ twice _ .

He was about five seconds from jumping in the air and pumping his fist, but instead he put his other hand in his pocket and walked to his car. He didn’t skip like he wanted to, either.

Ben honestly wondered if this was some kind of joke or dream. Was he in a coma somewhere and this was the alternate world that his mind conjured up? Some perfect universe where he actually went on a good date with an awesome woman?

No, if it was a perfect world, Chris wouldn’t still call him every morning to go running.

Maybe it was the other one. A sick, elaborate joke. Revenge from someone in Partridge who knew the best way to break Ben Wyatt was to hire someone to be the perfect person for him, make him like her and then rip her away. That would suck.

But no, that was a little too paranoid even for him. He knew Leslie, and she would never do something like that. She was honest and kind. He saw it in her eyes.

Ben thought the biggest obstacle would be Ice Town, but that wasn’t even an issue for her. She knew almost the entire time, and she still liked him. It didn’t seem possible.

But, oddly enough, it was, and he was going to see her again. He was going to be seeing a lot of her if it was up to him. He wasn’t really a praying man, but he sent up a few quick ones asking that his next assignment be close by. 

He whistled as he made his way into the lobby of his apartment building, stopping by his mailbox to grab today’s envelopes and typical junk mail. He didn’t know any of his neighbors, nor was he ever particular eager to get to know them, but he smiled and nodded to the person sharing the elevator up. Apparently Leslie’s charm was contagious. 

Tossing the pile of mail on his coffee table, Ben collapsed on the couch and called his brother.

“Benji? Hey man, what's up? How’d it go? Obviously not  _ that _ well if you’re already home. Unless she’s off slipping into something more comfortable--”

“Dude, come on.”

Henry chuckled. “Nah, I’m just fucking with you. So, what happened? Did you screw up and say something stupid? You didn’t go on a rant about the  _ Star Wars _ prequels did you?”

“Okay, first of all, those movies are a travesty and she’s already heard my rant on that anyway, so joke’s on you. Second of all,” he sighed-- _ sighed _ \-- like a lovesick teenager, “it went really well. Amazing, even. Dinner was great, we went for a walk through the park, we talked, we kissed, and I’m going to visit her next weekend. And get this. She knew.”

“Knew about what?”

“Ice Town! She knew all about it before I even told her. She found out almost at the beginning and still wanted to get to know me. How awesome is that?”

“No shit? That’s amazing. Don’t screw this up, Benji.”

“You confidence in me is astounding.”

“Lighten up,” Henry said. “I’m just messing with you. It is my sworn duty as the older, much wiser brother. All kidding aside, I’m really happy for you. From everything you’ve told me, she seems pretty great.”

Ben sighed again, and he was really getting a little tired of it. Too bad he couldn’t stop himself. “She really is. I know it’s still too early to really say anything and know for sure, but, I feel like we could actually have something together, you know? There’s just something about her.”

“Wow. You haven’t talked about anyone like this in a while.”

“I've never met anyone like her before. It's scary, but good scary.”

“Hmm, so she's smart, hardworking, kind, pretty, a good kisser-”

“Great kisser.”

“Oh excuse me.  _ Great  _ kisser, and she likes you?”

“Hard to believe, I know.”

Henry snickered. “Well good. You deserve someone great after everything, and your future niece and I deserve someone that can help you pick out decent baby outfits.”

“So selfless,” Ben deadpanned and pulled his phone away from his ear when he heard a beep. “Oh, hey, Henry I have to go. Leslie’s calling.”

“Oooo, stud, she's already coming back for more. Very nice.”

“Yeah, okay, goodbye, perv.”

All Ben heard was Henry's laugh before the line went dead.

“Uh, yeah,” Ben cleared his throat. “H-hello?”

“Hey, Ben, it's me. Leslie. Leslie Knope.”

“Oh, hi Leslie,” he replied, sitting up on the couch.  His arm slipped as he tried to find a good, relaxed pose. Why? Who knows. It's not like she could see him. “How are you? Got home safe?”

“I did, I did. You said to text so if you're busy I can--”

“Nope,” he cut in. “Not busy at all.”

“Oh, okay, good,” she said, relieved. “I know we just spent the last few hours with each other and it's late and I can't stay on long, but I just…I really wanted to hear your voice. Ugh, that sounds clingy, doesn't it? I mean you've heard my voice all night. I'm sorry, I'll--”

“Leslie it's okay. I'm glad you called. I wanted to hear your voice, too. This is way better than a text message.”

“I thought so, too. I guess I’m not ready for today to be over.”

“I can understand that, but the best part is that today isn’t the last time we’re going to see each other, right? We can Skype and then I’m gonna come next weekend and it’ll be great.”

“Yeah, I can’t wait. Oh! Ann’s calling me. This is the only first date I’ve gone on that I didn’t text Ann at some point during the night. She’s probably checking to make sure that it went well or that I’m not dead. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

“Yes, of course. Have a good night.”

“Oh, and Ben?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks again. Tonight was more amazing than I could have imagined.”

She hung up before he could say anything, but Ben’s pretty sure he would have just stuttered like an idiot anyway.

He loosened his tie and rifled through the mail on the table with a lopsided grin. Junk, junk, bill, more junk, and-- _ oh _ , it was his official letter of reassignment. He always hated the formality of it all. Couldn’t they just send him an email and be done with it?

He opened the envelope and read the letter, skipping over the boring details for now. He just wanted to know where he was going, praying that it was at least on this side of the state and was big enough to have a place that delivered food.

But when he got to the line, he froze. 

No. No, no, no, no. Seriously? He wanted close, but not that close. 

But of course. Of fucking course. The universe was still punishing him after all this time.

_ New Assignment: Pawnee, Indiana.  _

Fuck.

~~~~~

He still hadn’t told her. He should probably say something, needs to say something, but he wanted to explore all of the options first. Ben hoped it would be as easy as just passing it off to another auditor, but the only person not on assignment was even worse than him. That guy would fire Leslie in a heartbeat.

Hell, after going over some of the financials himself, even  _ he _ might have gone after Leslie if he didn’t know better. This town was in bad shape.

So no that wasn’t an option, and he didn't like any of the others either.

How could he tell her? She was on his computer screen at that very moment, her hair pulled back away from her freshly scrubbed face, little penguins dancing on her pajama bottoms.

How could she possibly look as gorgeous now as she did a few nights ago on their date?

“Oh! So I had some thoughts about this weekend. Are you free Saturday?”

Ben swallowed hard. “About that. I don't know if it's gonna work out with me coming down.”

Her face fell and his heart broke as she tried to pick it back up. “Oh, okay. I mean we don't have to do that if-”

“No it has nothing to do with you or Pawnee. I want to come and see you, but I got my new assignment the other day.”

“You’re leaving so soon?”

“Not exactly,” Ben shook his head. “Leslie what I'm about to tell you you can't tell anyone. I could lose my job.”

Her eyes went wide but she nodded. “Yes of course. I won't tell anyone. Are you okay? Is something wrong?”

“I'm just bad luck or something. I don't know. I was hoping I'd get assigned something close, you know. So we could...keep seeing each other more regularly. Someone has a sick sense of humor.”

“Ben, would you just tell me?”

“It's Pawnee. My next assignment is Pawnee. And I already looked into seeing if someone else could take it, but the only person left is worse than me. If you think I go around slashing budgets with a machete, then he's carrying around a chain saw. I couldn't do that to you.”

Leslie stared and him and nodded slowly. “Oh, okay. Wow, I didn’t know things were that bad. Oh my God.”

“Yeah…”

She cocked her head to the side. “So, what happens now?”

“I really don’t know. Ethically, I’m supposed to either say we can’t see each other anymore, but I don’t want that. And I definitely don’t want to hand this off to someone that I know is going to try and fire you. I mean from an auditor standpoint, you’ve got a lot coming your way with budget cuts and things no matter who goes.”

“Do you think we could...keep it a secret?”

“Seriously?”

“Sure, why not,” Leslie shrugged. “No one here besides Ann knows who I’m seeing, and I don’t want someone random guy coming in here trying to fire me. And unless you can honestly say that breaking up would make you less biased…”

It wouldn’t. Not really. Breaking up for the sake of his job wouldn’t make him care about her any less. 

Breaking up. Wow. 

“What are you smiling for? This is not good at all,” Leslie said.

“Sorry, you’re right but, breaking up? Are we together to break up?”

You stupid fuck, he thought to himself when he noticed Leslie going into panic mode.

“Oh, you’re right. Sorry, that was stupid. Uhm, right. We didn’t talk about it or anything and said that we were an item or that you can’t see other people or-”

“No, Leslie, it’s fine. I guess in my mind we’re together, too. I mean, if you want to. I don’t plan on seeing anyone else. I don’t  _ want _ to see anyone else. So if you-”

“Yes.”

“Uhm, okay, good. But that doesn’t solve the problem.”

“If you think we can pull it off, I say that we just sneak around. We can do it. Like I said, no one knows about you except Ann, and she won’t say anything. What about Chris?”

“All he knows is that I’m seeing someone named Leslie. I never went into any details with him.”

“So, it could technically work.”

Ben bit his lip. “It’ll be hard. And I’m warning you now, I can’t show too much favoritism here. I know how much your department and your budget mean to you, but I have a job to do. I’m...I’m not the same Ben when I’m working. I can’t be. I have to be tough and no nonsense.”

“No, I get that, I do. We'll have to work on pretending we don’t know each other. But it’ll be fine. I’m good at being sneaky.”

He had no reason to think otherwise, but he still didn’t believe her.

“Okay,” he nods, “If you want to, let’s do this.”

“Are  _ you _ sure? You’re the one that can get into trouble here.” 

It’s crazy. They’ve not been seeing each other long. He should do the right thing. Not risk his job. But he couldn’t. He didn’t want to lose her.

“Yeah, I’m sure. Maybe this’ll be a good thing? Work together a little bit. See how we are in that environment. And we’ll be in the same city. That’s good, right?”

“That’s  _ amazing _ . I think this is all just a blessing in disguise.”

“I hope so. But that means that I can’t go down there before the audit. I definitely can’t be seen there, and we can’t be seen together.”

Leslie pouted, and good Lord, he just wanted to suck on that bottom lip. “That stinks. Did you...did you still want to do something.”

“Yeah, of course. Maybe meet in the middle? So no one here can accidentally see us either.”

Leslie squinted and stared out into space, and he could practically see her brain hard at work.

“I’ve got an idea! There’s a really nice park in Bloomington, which is about halfway. We could meet up there. I can make some food for a picnic lunch. It’ll be great. Is that okay with you?”

She was so excited and smiling so wide, he’d agree to  _ walk  _ there if it meant seeing her again, to make her happy. 

“That sounds perfect.”

Leslie pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on them. “Awesome. I can’t wait to see you.”

There it was again. That flutter in his stomach. “Neither can I. I’m sorry about all of this. I should have known something like this would happen and throw a wrench in everything.”

“Hey, it’s not your fault. I’m still shocked that it’s even happening. But if someone has to come in a fix everything, I’m glad it’s you.”

“You might not be saying that in a few weeks,” he said half joking. Okay, not joking at all.

“Doubt it. It’ll be fine, you’ll see. Plus, I’ll get to see you everyday. It’ll be a lesson on self control for sure, but I’d rather you close than far away.”

“Yeah, me too.”

He just really, really hoped this worked.

~~~~~

She tasted like strawberries and cream today. 

Which would make sense considering she had brought them as a part of their picnic lunch, which was delicious, but the fruit and whipped cream tasted even better when mixed with Leslie.

Ben was surprised they were able to control themselves as long as they did. They hugged and kissed shyly in greeting and then found a nice, shaded spot to spread out.

It wasn’t until dessert when he was popping a strawberry into his mouth that Leslie pounced. 

There wasn’t another word for, really. Before he knew what was happening, her lips were on his and he was moaning into her mouth. His back was pressed up against the tree trunk, and at some point she straddled his lap.

At the first pass of her tongue, it felt like his head was about to explode. The need for oxygen became more of a hindrance, and he gasped between kisses to suck in as much air as possible.

The sound of a child running past them and giggling tore them apart with dazed eyes and smiles.

“Wow.”

“You said that the last time, too,” Leslie giggled, her nose still close enough to brush his.

“Did I? I guess that’s one of the few words I can think of after something like that.”

“So it’s okay that I kind of jumped you like that? I’ve been wanting to do that for a while. When you bit into that strawberry, I just couldn’t stop myself.”

“Uh, no complaints from me. I wasn’t too far off from starting something myself.”

Her fingers starting playing with the short strands of hair near his neck, and he gripped her waist.

“I’m glad. Skype is great and all, but it’ll never be as good as this.”

“Nope, not even close. Although you’re pretty cute in those penguin pajamas.”

She laughed and pressed her forehead against his shoulder.

He smiled, too, turning his head to press a kiss to her hair. He could do that now. Kiss her. Hold her. Feel the puffs of breath against his neck when he made her laugh.

“I kind of like the t-shirt and hoodie combo you go with on your off hours. Your commitment to early nineties music is inspiring.”

“I’m begging that you don’t start singing  _ Whoomp There It Is  _ again.”

“Awww,” she said, patting his head like a child, “but you’re so cute when your face gets all red. But I’ll spare you just this once.”

“You’re a saint.”

With another smile that turned his insides to putty, she kissed his cheek and then slid off of his lap. His body instantly missed the weight and warmth of her.

Leslie stuck a spoon into the whipped cream container and brought it to her mouth. Ben had never been more jealous of a spoon.

“So, less than two weeks, huh?”

“What?” He blinked.

“Less than weeks. Before you come to Pawnee. That’s what you said earlier.”

“Oh, yeah.” His hand ran through his hair. “Official start date is the Monday after next.”

“Is it bad that I’m excited? Not the whole Pawnee government having no money thing, but it means you’re going to be living in Pawnee for a little.”

Ben smiled but didn’t say anything. He wasn’t all that excited, honestly. He’d been having stress dreams for days about what could happen. Leslie finally seeing the professional side of him and hating it, him turning into some weird machete wielding monster that chases after her. Dreams that made him wake up in a cold sweat.

Leslie licked her spoon clean and then scooted closer to rest her head on his shoulder. “You’re still worried, aren’t you?”

“I can’t help it. You’re learning very quickly how anxious and stressed out I can get. Mixing personal and professional almost never works. And what we have is still so new. I’m just afraid to ruin it.”

“You worry too much. But the good news is that I’m optimistic enough for the both of us.” She tilted her head up to look at the sky. “What’s that cloud look like to you?”

“Uhm, a cloud?”

“Ugh, Ben, you’re the worst.” Leslie made some extra space for them on the blanket, tugging him to lie down next to her and curling into his side. He could get used to this. “Try again,” she said. 

“I haven’t done this since I was in elementary school.”

“I do it all of the time. It’s like meditation, only a lot less boring. And feeling like a kid every once in awhile isn’t so bad.” Her eyes scanned the sky. “Oh! Okay, see that one there. That one looks like…”

“Uh, a bunny?”

“You just picked something at random, didn’t you.”

“Yes.”

She huffed and nudged his shoulder. “Come on. Just try. It'll be fun. I promise.”

Ben turned his head to look at her smiling back at him. She was so beautiful, he couldn’t stop himself from reaching out and tucking a curl behind her ear, his thumb tracing her jaw. 

Looking back towards the sky, Ben searched for his cloud.


	11. Welcome to Pawnee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Ben's first day in Pawnee, and the couple do their best to balance work and their new relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is definitely mature in that it contains some phone sex...and dream sex.

“Hey, what are you up to?” Ann asked as she walked into Leslie’s office.

“Oh, hi, Ann!” Leslie raised her head and then looked out of her office window before lowering her voice. “I’m just trying to put together stuff that I think I might need when we get our official audit.”

“Should you really be doing that, though? I thought that Ben could get into trouble if they found out that he told you before they officially got here?”

Leslie patted Ann’s hand. “Don’t worry. I’m going to wait a few days before I show anyone else this so it looks like I didn’t start working on it until after we were told.”

Ann nodded. “Uhm, okay. But how are you holding up? Still okay with this whole new boyfriend coming to audit your budget thing?”

“Why does everyone act like this is going to be such a big deal?” Leslie asked looking up again from her binder. “It sucks that our town is in a financial crisis, but what better way to fix it then by having my boyfriend come in and do it and save the day. He already knows how important my work is to me, and now I’ll be able to see him whenever I want.”

“I guess. I can’t wait to at least meet him. Do you know when they’re getting here?”

“He texted me earlier that they arrived at City Hall and are meeting with the Mayor and City Manager first. Then they’re going around to the different departments.” She giggled. “I can’t believe he’s here in this building right now.”

Ann squeezed Leslie’s hand. “Well, I’m happy that you’re excited. Just remember what we practiced about playing it cool like you don’t know him. You don’t want to go overboard either and make people suspicious.”

“Yes, I know Ann. We’ve gone over this a million times, plus me and Ben have, too. We’re good.”

“Okay, so you’ve planned about how you’re going to act around other people, but what about off hours? How’s that going to work?”

“A lot of it’s going to be playing it by ear. Depends on the hours we’re working and things. But we’ve planned. Like where he should park if he comes to my place, and vice versa. A lot of after dark stuff. My sneak around clothes are going to get a workout.”

“Hopefully they won’t be the only things getting a workout,” Ann said, waggling her eyebrows, and she laughed when Leslie playfully slapped her shoulder.

“Ann! I mean, you’re right, but still.”

“You think it’ll happen soon?”

“God, I hope so. We hardly had a chance to really see each other. Our first date was kind of out given that it we were still feeling things out. I’m pretty sure the second time, though, it wouldn’t have been that far off if we just ran off and had sex in one of our cars. But I guess we want the first time to at least be in a bed.”

“Well, I hope it all works out. You deserve to be happy, and I’m glad Ben makes you happy.”

“He really does.” Leslie sighed and rested her chin on her hand. “We’ve just grown so much closer. It doesn’t feel like we’ve only known each other a few months, you know? Again, it sucks  _ why _ he’s here, but he’s here, and we actually have a chance at taking things further. This might just be the best thing that’s happened to me in a while.”

Ann smiled widely before looking down at her watch. “That’s awesome, and as much as I want to talk about all of this, I have to go. I just wanted to stop in and see how you were doing. Let me know what happens, okay?”

“Yup, I will. It could be any minute now.”

It was seventy-two minutes, actually, before Ben, and she assumed Chris, walked into the department. 

She couldn’t help herself, her eyes went wide and her pulse raced, their gazes meeting for the briefest of moments before he turned away.

She hoped he was proud of her because she was exercising more self control than she thought possible by not jumping him right there. He looked damn good in a suit.

Leslie hid behind Ron’s enthusiasm, hoping her attempts at stopping her smiles would be nothing in comparison to the mustached-man’s giggles.

Ben’s hand was cold and clammy when she shook it, and when their eyes met again, they were hard. She almost didn’t recognize them.

Chris was the exact opposite, holding on far too tightly for far too long.

“Leslie Knope,” he drew out. “That is such a lovely name. Our Ben here is currently seeing a woman named Leslie. Isn’t that right?”

Chris turned to Ben, and he swallowed hard, his lips staying in a thin line. “Uhm, yes. Yes I am.”

“What a small, wonderful, world, right Leslie Knope?”

“Yes,” she answered with a nervous laugh. “Small, world. I mean it is a very common name, you know. Sure there are lots of people out there with that name, of all genders. You know, with a nice name like that….Leslie.”

“You are so right!” Chris said, and for the first time, Leslie finally understood what Ben had been talking about. She really hadn’t believed him until now.

She looked back over at Ben, who was leaning against one of the tables and still actively avoiding eye contact. Where Chris seemed delighted to take a quick tour around the department, Ben looked like he’d rather be eating sand.

At least he looked as unexcited to shake everyone else’s hand as he was hers.

Ben’s lips remained pursed throughout Chris’ little pep talk comparing their government to a carousel, and he looked none too pleased when Chris left the room in just as much of a whirlwind as when he entered.

Ron and Leslie led Ben to their conference room, where he took off his jacket before sitting.

She sat there, her heart racing and hands shaking as Ben shuffled papers around, not bothering to say a word.

Ron never looked happier, but Leslie just felt sick to her stomach. This wasn't going at all like she had imagined.

“As I'm sure you are both aware, your government is in a significant financial crisis.”  Ben looked up as Ron giggled, but his face remained neutral.  “Despite what my colleague said, I don't want to disillusion you into thinking that this will be a fun or easy process. Budgets will be cut--” another giggle from Ron-- “and programs will be discontinued.”

“What about people?” Leslie said, and she swore that for a millisecond, she saw him.  _ Her  _ Ben. But he was gone too quickly.

His mouth opened and closed once before he actually answered. “I haven't delved that deep into your particular departmental budget, but I can make no guarantees. Other departments will be losing people for sure.”

Leslie was about to respond before Ron cut in. “ What exactly will you be cutting and how much of it and can I watch you do it while eating Pork Cracklins?  Also, I would be happy to provide you with a list of programs and people that can easily be eliminated from all departments. My first proposal: no more departments.”

Ben stared at Ron again, unblinking, before going back to his padfolio. “That won't be necessary.”

Leslie was getting even more nervous despite everything Ben had told her.

“But, you understand that what we do here is important, right? That if you cut all of our programs and budget the people of Pawnee will suffer.”

He sighed, but it wasn't a good sigh. 

“Ms. Knope--” she flinched-- “I understand. Really, I do, but the fact of the matter is that your government is broke. There  _ is _ no money.”

If Ron giggled one more time she was gonna-

“But-”

“Please. Let me do my job. There are a lot of important departments in your government that are getting hit hard, too. If you don’t want a complete collapse and put everyone out of a job, sacrifices need to be made, especially from less essential departments.”

“Less essential?”

He sighed again, and she hated that sound. “Look, I don’t have all of the facts and numbers for you yet. At least let me work on that first and then we can have a more informed discussion on the cuts that need to be made.”

“I’m just worried that you don’t seem to understand how special our department is. How special Pawnee is, and--”

“Pawnee isn-” He stopped himself, and for the sake of their fledgling relationship, Leslie was glad that he did. Her eyes went wide and she frowned. “Just, please, let me see what I can do. If you have ideas of your own on how we can cut costs, that might prove to be helpful.”

“I already have ideas for a binder,” she said stiffly, and there it was again. He almost smirked, but stopped himself.

“Very good. Now, I think I have all I need here.” He gathered his papers, stuffing everything into his briefcase. “You’ll be hearing from me again soon.”

With a nod, he was out of the door, but the anxiety sitting like a pit in Leslie’s stomach stayed around.

“What's a not gay way to ask him to go camping with me?”

Leslie just rolled her eyes at Ron and stomped from the room.

~~~~~

It had been hours after Ben left, and Leslie was still uneasy. 

She knew she shouldn’t have expected the same Ben that she was used to. He told her as much. This was tough, cold, auditor Ben. This was the one that cut budgets and apparently made people hate him enough to send him death threats. Not the one that giggled a bit when he got drunk or smiled at her in a way that made her insides melt.

But it was still weird, and she didn’t like looking at a Ben she didn’t recognize. It frightened her, honestly. She didn’t want to imagine how this would have gone if Ben  _ wasn’t _ her super, secret boyfriend. He’d be a fascist hardass, probably. A cute fascist hardass, but still.

She was pulling her lip between her teeth when her phone buzzed on her desk.

_ Third floor, East wing. _

That’s all it said, and without a second thought, Leslie got up from her chair.

She was barely out of the elevator and down the hall when a hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her into the supply closet.

Her yelp of surprise was smothered by Ben’s lips, and dear God had it really been over a week since she last touched him like this?

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered, nipping at her lips.  It felt so amazingly awesome that she almost forgot what he was apologizing for in the first place.   “I told you I can get that way when I’m auditing. I just had to do something to distract my mind from you and so I turned into auditor Ben.”

“Mean Ben,” she said with a smile before devouring his lips again.

His chuckle got lost in her mouth. “Is that what you’re gonna call me? Mean Ben?”

“Well, there’s mean Ben and fun, sexy Ben. Mean Ben takes money away from me and doesn’t smile, and fun, sexy Ben lures me into an abandoned hallway after hours to make out in a closet. And it’s okay. You warned me. It was just...shocking. I wasn’t prepared for it.”

“I know.” His lips trailed down her neck and she was pretty sure her knees almost buckled. “So this is my official apology to try and make up for it.”

“You can always come by my place tonight and make it up to me some more,” she said with her fingers tangled in his hair.

He groaned and it vibrated against her skin and bucked his hips into hers. Oh, he was just as turned on by this as she was, and she’d give almost anything to feel  _ that _ without clothes in the way.

“I wish I could, Leslie.  _ Fuck _ , you don’t know how badly I wish that I could, but I’m swamped. I have so many spreadsheets and budgets to go over before meetings tomorrow. I might be working most of the night. The only reason I was able to sneak away was because I lied to Chris and told him I needed to meditate to center myself before working again.”

“He bought that?”

He smiled and nipped harder on her skin. “Unbelievable, right? But this is so much better.”

“Mmmm. Oh, so Ron wants to go camping with you. You have a fan.”

He laughed. “Well that's makes two people in this town that don't hate me. Might be a record. Although, I've never been camping before and kind of hate going outside. But I'd gladly share a sleeping bag with you, though.”

His hand was gripping her breast and Leslie swore that she just might die from sensory overload when his watch started beeping.

“Fuck. I have to get back. I’ll make it up to you, I promise. Once all of this craziness settles down.”

She ran her hand down his cheek and kissed him again. “Okay. I can’t complain. I mean, you’re  _ here _ . In Pawnee. I get to see you everyday. Even if it’s a few clandestine meetings in broom closets, I’ll take it.”

He smiled at her and she’s pretty sure she had to remind herself to breathe.

“Yeah, me too.”

~~~~~

Ben’s head was between her legs, his stubble scratching the inside of her thighs. He kissed and licked every inch of her, except where she wanted it the most.

She whined and look down at him, only to see his stupid, sexy smirk. “Please, just do it already.”

“I will, I will. I told you I was gonna make you beg for it, didn’t I?”

The hand she had in his hair tugged, and he went willingly back to the task at hand. 

God, was it supposed to feel this good?

The first swipe of his tongue caught her off guard and her back arched clear off of the bed, an almost unearthly sound escaping her lips. The second made her clench the sheets so hard her knuckles turned white. Once Ben added his fingers, Leslie was fairly certain that her body was literally on the verge of exploding. There was no way a single person could tolerate that much pleasure.

And he was saying things. Filthy, almost unintelligible things that she’s pretty sure he was saying without thinking. 

She felt it, rising in her like a current that was being channeled into one spot from every nerve in her body. 

It was magical. So magical that there was literally music playing inside of her head.

Wait, was that the main theme from  _ Star Wars? _

Leslie gasped and her eyes shot open as she sat up, disoriented and groggy on her couch, her phone vibrating and playing Ben’s ringtone on the coffee table.

“Mmm, yeah, hey.”

“Leslie? Are you okay? You sound kind of out of breath and--oh no, did I wake you up?”

She looked at her watch and it was only 10:30. “You’re fine. I don’t know what happened. I must have fallen asleep watching TV or something.”

“I’m sorry. I’m at my motel room working and I wanted to take a quick break and call you.”

“No, I’m glad you did. I was dreaming, though.”

“Ooo really? A good dream?”

If he only knew. On second thought-- “A  _ very _ good dream. You were featured very heavily.”

“So that might explain the heavy breathing, huh?”

“Mmhmm.”

He was silent for a minute, and she heard his own breath quicken. “Tell me about it.”

Wait, were they really doing this? They’ve talked about almost anything and everything, but not that. Phone sex was definitely uncharted territory for them.

“It was, uhm, about you. Going down on me.”

Ben groaned and it made the throbbing return between her legs. Maybe it never really went away.

“You have no idea how much I wish I could be there with you right now and make that dream not just a dream anymore.”

Leslie bit her lip and her hand slid under the band of her sweats and underwear. “Really?”

“God, yes. I’ve been wanting to taste you for so long. Smell you. Make you come.”

It was her turn to moan, and her fingers curled just above her clit.

“I’m touching myself,” he said softly. “Is that okay?”

She nodded quickly until she realized he couldn’t actually see her. “Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, that’s, uhm, that’s good. I am, too.”

He hissed. “That’s so hot. Seriously, you don’t know how much I just want to go over there and see how wet you are for me.”

“You still can, you know.”

“Don’t tempt me. Chris is out for his moonlight run, but he’ll be back and we still have a lot of work to do. He’ll get suspicious. And if I go over there, I’m taking my time. Time I don’t have tonight.”

“Then tell me. Tell me what you’d do to me if you were here.”

His voice dropped an octave. “WIth pleasure, Ms. Knope. I’d show up at your door with a nice bottle of wine. Take things slow. We’d drink and talk and laugh and after a few glasses we start making out on your couch.”

“You’re a really good kisser.”

“Why thank you,” he chuckled. “So are you.”

“What happens next?”

“Next you end up straddling my lap, and we’re making out and dry humping like teenagers. Then, you pull back, your hair wild from my hands and your lips red and swollen from my kisses. You stand up and take my hand and lead me upstairs. God, you’re so fucking sexy.”

Her fingers started rubbing faster circles on her clit and she moaned again.

“I follow you into your bedroom and you take your clothes off for me. I try to help, but you slap my hands away and continue to tease me. You just leave your panties on and then lay down on your bed. I stare at you because you’re so beautiful and when I can’t stand it anymore, I crawl over you and kiss you until I can’t breath. I start kissing down your neck and then reach your breasts.”

She put Ben on speaker so she could set the phone down so her other hand could grab her breast and squeeze.

“I kiss and lick and suck on them until you can’t stand it anymore. My hand goes between your legs and I bet I’ll find it soaking wet for me, won’t I?”

Two of her fingers curled inside of her. “Yes. Oh, my God, yes. You will.”

“I can feel it through your underwear. So hot and wet and just waiting for my mouth. But I take my time. I kiss down your belly and up and down your thighs. I can finally smell you and it’s the most fucking amazing thing. You huff because you’re impatient, but I don’t give in yet. I know it’ll be worth it if I take my time.”

She added another finger.

“My nose nuzzles you through your panties and I slowly slip them down your legs. Shit, your pussy is so amazing. I don’t ever want to leave it. I spread you wide open with my fingers and for the first time I finally get to taste you, and  _ that’s _ the most fucking amazing thing in the world.”

“Oh, my God, Ben,” she breathed. “K-keep going. I’m getting so close.”

“You sound so sexy right now. And so are you with my tongue buried in your wet pussy. Your hips are bucking and I have to hold them down, and you’re pulling on my hair so hard that it hurts, but it’s the best kind of pain. I barely know your clit, but we’re quickly becoming best friends as I learn what it likes best.”

The rest of it’s almost a blur. There’s a loud ringing in her ears as her fingers move quickly and sloppily to get her over that edge. The heat is back in her limbs, just like in her dream, and when that heat finally bubbles over, her body stiffens. She can vaguely hear Ben grunting and swearing in the background as she comes down from her high.

They’re both quiet, breathing heavily, and for the thousandth time in the last twenty minutes, she wished Ben was there with her. But this was a nice alternative.

“Holy fuck, Leslie.”

“Yeah,” she laughed, bringing her hand to her face to push back the sweaty strands of hair. “If that can happen from phone sex…”

“I know. You sound so sexy when you come. I don’t think I could have held myself back even if I wanted to.”

“Next time--” she sighed heavily. “Next time it’s my turn to go down on  _ you _ .”

“You’re trying to kill me, I just know it.”

Leslie cackled. “You can’t be the only one having all of the fun. Although, I’ll admit, this was pretty fun, too.”

“I’m glad you thought so--oh, crap. I think I hear Chris back and moving around in his room next door. I better go clean up before he comes back over to my room to keep working.”

Leslie pouts. “Booooo.”

“I know. Trust me, I know. But this was definitely not what I was expecting when I called you. Don’t get me wrong. It’s  _ better _ than what I was expecting, but still.” His voice got softer. “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

“Yeah, I’ll see you tomorrow. This was...really, really awesome.”

“Leslie Knope, I couldn’t agree with you more. Sweet dreams.”

Oh, she didn’t think that would be an issue at all.


	12. The Grandville Hotel and Spa

Ben was on a roll today. Not necessarily a _good_ one, but that depends on who you ask.

Today was the first of many firing days, which would explain why Chris was characteristically absent. The person running from his office now was unlucky number 7. They were the third crier. The other four damned him and any future descendents to the deepest pits of hell. So, nothing out of the ordinary.

Leslie’s head popped in just as the latest _former_ Pawnee city employee left the room.

“Uh, hi. What was that all about?”

He sighed and shook his head. “Today is round one of firings. People aren’t taking it so well.”

She frowned. “You make people cry?”

“I don’t set out to do it, but it happens pretty often. I mean, I’m pretty sure they should have seen this coming.”

Leslie opened her mouth to say something, but then just pursed her lips. “Anyway, you got a few minutes?”

“Yeah, yeah.” He stood up and guided her in, checking the hallway before closing the door.

His hands cupped her cheeks, bringing her in for a deep kiss.

“Mmmm, this is the kind of greeting that I like,” she smiled.

“This is the kind of greeting I wish I could give you every time I see you. But Chris is out for the rest of the morning most likely, and my next appointment isn’t for another 20 minutes, soooo, I can do this.”

He kissed her again, her arms looping around his neck and pulling him close.

“Good. But I did want to actually talk to you, if that’s okay.”

“Yeah, of course it’s okay.” He gestured to the seat that was just vacated by his last “appointment”. She stared at the chair like it was cursed before eventually sitting down. “So what’s on your mind?”

“A few things actually. The first is that I have some really great ideas about--”

“Leslie…”

“About some projects that really can’t afford to be put on the backburner and-”

“Leslie, we talked about this. You _promised_ me that you wouldn’t propose any new ideas until _after_ I finalized your budget.”

Her pouty face was kind of adorable, even though it meant she was upset. “Yeah, but I made that promise in an empty bathroom stall after your tongue had been down my throat. I probably would have agreed to anything.”

“Ok, fair point, but it’s for the best. Trust me. I can’t look like I’m playing favorites or else someone might suspect something.”

She folded her arms. “Yeah, well, sometimes you do it _too_ well.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re just so...cold and uncaring in public sometimes. I know that you feel like you _have_ to, but, I don’t know, I still don’t like it.”

“You know that’s just how I am.”

“Yeah, but don’t you think you could just be a little nicer? Like to everyone? I don’t know, I hear people talking, and everyone hates you and it upsets me because I know that isn’t you.”

“I don’t care what people think of me. I get my job done and your government doesn’t collapse and that’s it.”

“Well, maybe I care, Ben. Maybe I care that I see two completely different sides of you. I see that and just knowing that you’re capable of being so cold and calloused--” She let out a sigh. “I don’t know. I just don’t like it.”

Ben leaned forward on his desk and put his head in his hands. “I don’t know what you want me to do, Leslie. This is who I am. This is how I do my job, and I’m damn good at it. I wish it could be different. I really do. But I can’t be someone like Chris. He can’t do the hard stuff that it takes to solve the problems. I’m doing this so that people will take me seriously. So that people understand the real problems.” He reached out and grabbed Leslie’s hand. “I’m doing this so that your government doesn’t collapse and put all of you out of a job for good.”

He knew Leslie well enough to know that she wasn’t convinced, but she smiled weakly. “I guess. Maybe I just have to get used to it.”

“If it’ll make you feel better, I’ll try to be a _little_ nicer. I can’t make any guarantees, but I’ll do my best. For you.”

Her smile made it worth it. “Thank you.”

“Of course.” He played with her fingers. “We’re still on for tonight, though, right?”

“Mmm, oh yeah. I’m so happy you can finally get some time away.”

“Yeah, I told Chris I was “visiting Leslie” for the weekend, which isn’t a lie, really. I think we should take separate cars to the restaurant, but the reservations are made, and uh, I booked us the room, so everything should be good to go.”

“I’m so excited,” she said with her usual enthusiasm. “And you’re going to _love_ the Grandville Hotel. I know how you feel about towels, and I promise that they won’t disappoint.”

He brought her hand up to his lips. “I’m just glad that we’re finally going to have genuine time to ourselves. Seeing you all of the time but hardly being able to touch you has been torture. Honestly, right now I’m resisting every urge to just devour you, and the only thing stopping me is that some my next appointment might be a bit overeager and come early.”

He loved making her blush. “Well, we can make up for all of that tonight. And tomorrow.”

There was a knock that startled them both.

“Okay, that’s way too early, They’re gonna have to wait.” He stood up and opened the door, not expecting to see Chris there instead. “Oh, hey, what’s up?”

“So sorry to bother you, but we’re having a bit of a problem in sewage that I was hoping you could help me with. Shouldn’t take more than five minutes.”

Before Ben even finished nodding, Chris was sprinting back down the hall. “Hey,” he said turning to Leslie, “I’ll be right back. I promise. Don’t go without me being able to give you a proper goodbye, okay?”

She smiled and nodded, and he closed the door behind him.

The people in sewage were terrible human beings, and thankfully the issue was merely a matter of reiterating to them the repercussions of their new budget.

Yes, the budget was going to be cut by 40%. Yes, your benefits package was changing drastically. Yes, some people were going to get fired. Oh, you want me to go fuck myself and die? That’s nice. You’re definitely going to get fired now. Good? Okay, bye.

He came back into his office, and Leslie jumps in her chair. “Oh, hi. You...you’re back.”

“Uh, yeah, Chris isn’t all that good with conflict...but it’s over now.”

She stood up quickly and kept smoothing her hands over her slacks. He almost swore that they were shaking. “Oh, okay. Good. Well, uhm, I gotta--I gotta go now. Finish packing for our weekend and stuff.”

“Hey, are you feeling okay?”

“Yup! Fine. Just thinking about everything that needs to get done. And boy it’s getting late. Your next appointment will be here any minute now.” She ran up to him and gave him a quick kiss. “I’ll, uh, I’ll talk to you later.”

Before Ben could blink, Leslie was already out of the door.

Well, that was...weird.

He just hoped whatever was bothering her would be long gone by tonight.

Ben cracked his knuckles and got ready for his next appointment.

~~~~~

“Oh, Ann, thank God you’re here,” Leslie said, pulling Ann inside. “We have an emergency.”

“Yeah, I got that from your message, but all you said was ‘Code Red! Code Red!’ and I don’t know what that means.”

“It’s a Code Red, Ann. It’s bad. Very bad.”

“Oh, well, okay. Calm down. Just tell me what happened. Is it about work? Ben? What is it?”

Leslie collapsed on her couch. “It’s both! The worst kind of code red. With Ben and work so interrelated now, it’s like a double code red. I saw some of his budget proposal for parks. And it’s bad. I thought he knew how important it all was to me. He said he was going to try his best to go easy on us, but he’s not. We’ll almost be left with nothing. There definitely will be no new park behind your house.”

Ann sat down beside her. “Did you try talking to him and explaining your side? Maybe seeing if you could compromise.”

“See, I can’t do that,” Leslie said, looking down at her hands. “I wasn’t supposed to see it. It wasn’t official. I was talking to Ben in his office and he got called away for a little while and I got bored so I started just looking around. And I mean it was right there on his desk. If he didn’t want me to see it he should have hid it better.”

“So,” Ann said slowly, “you saw some of his budget proposal because you were snooping around?”

“I was _not_ snooping. What part of that entire story did I make it seem like I was snooping? I was just looking around at things on his desk and I happened to see it and then kept reading it and--oh, okay, yeah, I see what you mean. That kind of sounds like snooping.”

“Yeah. Look, don’t freak out. If you freak out then he’ll know something is wrong. Just forget about it for now, okay? I know it’s important to you. It’s important to me, too, but in a few hours, you and Ben will be off on your romantic weekend. Don’t let this ruin that.”

Leslie puts both of her hands on Ann’s cheeks. “Oh, Ann, you are always so wise. Thank you. You’re right. This weekend is about me and Ben, just the two of us. Plus, it’s not official yet, so if I, say, casually bring things up in conversation about the parks and how great they are and it’d be a shame if they got cut, maybe he’ll change his mind.”

“That might not be the greatest idea.”

Leslie stood up and started walking upstairs. “Don’t be silly. It’ll be fine. I won’t be obvious about it. Just a few things here and there. Oh! Do you think it’ll work if when he’s sleeping I whisper ‘don’t cut the parks budget’ over and over again so that it’s in his subconscious? He’ll be like ‘Oh, wow, I don’t know why but all of a sudden I feel like I shouldn’t cut the parks budget. Leslie will be so happy. She’s the greatest girlfriend ever.’ That should totally work.”

“I just don’t know if you should exploit your relationship with Ben that way.”

“It’s either this or you throw yourself at Chris and try to convince him. I’ve seen the way he looks at you when you visit City Hall. And don’t even deny that you’d probably do it too because you love me.”

Ann followed Leslie into her room and slumped on the bed. “Yeah, I probably would. Just...just don’t let it go too far, okay? Don’t let this get in the way of your _actual_ relationship. Because you’re not just using Ben to get your budget, right?”

“No, of course not. I really care about him. I cared about him before all of this other stuff happened. Before he even got assigned to Pawnee. But I mean, come on, what’s the point of dating the state auditor if he doesn’t cut you a break. Now, next topic. Sexy outfits. I want our first time to be super hot and awesome and fun. Plus, it wouldn’t hurt if he thinks of me mostly naked the next time he reviews the parks cuts.”

Ann sighed but walked over to Leslie’s closet. “Okay, let’s find something that’ll make Ben’s tongue fall out of his mouth.”

“Yay! What would I do without you, Ann?”

“Probably wear a ridiculous hat on a date, that’s what,” she smiled and nudged Leslie’s shoulder. “But have no fear. Ann is here.”

“Thank God. And for real, despite all of this crap, I just really want to have a great weekend with him. We’ve been dealing with so much stuff lately, it’ll be nice to get away.”

“And suck his dick. That’ll be nice, too.”

Leslie cackled. “Okay, yeah, that, too.”

~~~~~

Ben’s hands were shaking as he packed his overnight bag. It might have been from all of the caffeine he had ingested just to get through the day, but maybe some of it was nerves.

The day dragged on forever, made even worse that after Leslie’s mini freak out in his office, she didn’t contact him for hours. She said everything was fine, but he had a hard time believing it.

But he promised himself that he would push all of that out of his mind and just enjoy his time with her, unimpeded by work or anything else. They needed this.

He changed, said his goodbyes to Chris, who was thankfully still blissfully unaware that his “Leslie” was none other than Leslie Knope, and threw his bag into the car.

The restaurant was only a few towns over, so the drive wasn’t terrible, but he was still nervous. Excited nervous. Because he was totally doing sex tings with Leslie tonight. Like, actual sex things and not talking about doing them over the phone.

She got to the restaurant before him, because of course she did, and she greeted him with a big smile and kiss.

That didn’t ever get old.

“You look beautiful.”

“Thank you. You’re looking very handsome tonight. How did the rest of your day go?”

He laced his fingers with hers and squeezed. “It was rough. Can we just agree to not talk about work tonight. Please? I just want to forget all of that mess and be with you.”

Leslie winced, like he figured she would, be he was surprised by how easily she agreed.

“Yeah, I agree. No work stuff. Just us.”

And it actually worked...for a little while.

Dinner went well, and they managed to find a lot of things to talk about that didn’t revolve around their jobs.

Stuffed and slightly buzzed on wine, they walked out of the restaurant hand in hand.

“You know what would be nice?” Leslie asked.

Ben leaned over and nibbled on her ear. “Going back to the hotel?”

“No,” she giggled and slapped his chest. “Well, yes, but I’m so bloated right now and I happen to know that there’s a nice park near here, too. It’ll kind of be like our first date.”

“Of course you know that there’s a park around here. And yeah, that’ll be nice. Get in as much fresh air as we can now because I don’t plan on leaving that room all weekend.”

Leslie bit her lip and tugged on Ben’s hand, and he willingly followed.

The park was nice, not huge, but had a decent walking path and nice atmosphere.

“It’s nice, right?” Leslie said. “They really do a good job with it. I met the Parks and Rec director for this town a few years back at a conference. They've been able to do some really great things and programs. They recently upgraded their sprinkler system. Look at how green the grass is. Oh, and they started a yoga in the park program which was really successful. See the nice, new playground equipment. No graffiti there. Plus they saw a direct correlation between added programs and a decrease in high school dropout rates _and_ adolescent crime. It’s amazing what a nice budget will do, you know.”

Ben stopped. “Leslie, what are you doing?”

“What do you mean ‘what am I doing?’ I’m going for a walk with you and admiring their park.”

“I know what you’re trying to do. I thought we agreed no work talk.”

“Whaaaaat? I don’t--what are you even suggesting? Sorry if I can’t boast about the accomplishments of a colleague and hope to one day follow in their example. If _you_ took that as some kind of dig at the diminishing parks budget, then I think you’re the one with the issue. A guilty conscience, maybe? Hmmmm?”

“Leslie, please, I’m begging you, just drop it, okay?” He asked, pinching the bridge of his nose. “We’ll go over everything once I give you the finalized budget. Now, can we please just finish our walk and enjoy the rest of the night?”

“I still think this means that you’ve got some unresolved guilt issues, but sure. I can drop it. And I’m ready to head back now if you are.”

Boy, was he ever.

He was pretty sure he drove to the hotel in record time--well maybe not record time considering he was too afraid to drive all that much above the speed limit, but the idea’s still the same.

It felt kind of weird checking into a hotel room just to have sex, but it was more than that. This was to just get time away with each other since their current situation so far wasn’t working too well when it came to private interludes.

Bags were barely dropped to the ground before their mouths were on one another. Leslie fell back on the bed, pulling Ben with her, and he was already in heaven, the feel of her underneath him just a tease of what was going to happen later.

His hands were working on the zipper of her dress and his teeth were grazing her neck when she sighed.

But it wasn’t a good sigh.

He pulled back. “What? Is everything okay? Do you want me to slow down?”

“No it’s not that. It’s just… Okay, did you _really_ not get anything out of that little park pep talk? Like, nothing at all?”

He sat up with a groan. “Leslie, come on.”

“No, I’m being serious here. I’m sorry I can’t just separate my work life and personal life like you can. I’m sorry if you expect me to just pretend like everything’s fine when I don’t even know what’s going to happen to my department once you finalize our budget. That’s a huge thing bearing down on me and I just can’t make it go away.”

“Look, it’s important to you. I understand that, and if it makes you feel any better, I’m basically done with yours, and I promise, I did the best that I could do.”

Leslie flew off of the bed. “Liar! I can’t believe you’re lying right to my face so that I’d drop it. I know what the budget is, Ben. I saw the proposal on your desk this morning. You promised me and you still gutted it just like everyone else’s.”

“What?” He said in a low voice. He didn’t think it was possible to be this angry with her. “You snooped around my office and read your budget?”

“I didn’t do it on purpose. I got bored and it was there and--”

“And instead of leaving it where it was, you kept reading. Dear God, Leslie! Do you know how unethical that is? No one is allowed to see those reports until they are finalized. That’s--that’s a huge violation of trust. I mean, how could you do that?”

“Me?!” she yelled. “How could _you_ do that? How are we supposed to get by with no money? That’s barely enough to keep the parks maintained and we’ll have to cut almost all of the programs.”

“Do you have any idea how much I stuck my neck out for you? I _had_ to cut your budget. Your city is broke. Beyond broke. Every department had to have cuts. I worked for _days_ trying to find ways to cut other departments so that you wouldn’t lose everything. I cut yours the _least_ out of all of them. Other departments are actually losing people. Do you know how lucky you are that no one is getting fired? That you’re keeping _some_ programs? I did that for _you_ , Leslie. If anyone else would have come here, you’d have been so much worse off.”

“Oh, stop trying to trying to make yourself sound like some great hero. Maybe if you had listened to some of my ideas instead of just brushing me off, we could have worked something out. But noooo. Big, bad auditor Ben knows more than naive little Leslie. I _really_ thought that you were coming around to seeing how special Pawnee is and that we’re not like the other places you’ve been too.”

Ben raked his hands through his hair and pulled. “God, would you just listen to yourself?! You’re living in some kind of fantasy land if you think that money is just going to appear out of thin air. There’s nothing you can do to save your department or even your city without making these sacrifices. I _know_ what it takes. I’ve spent my life trying to fix these problems so that I can prove I’m responsible. You need to be responsible, Leslie. You’ll never be taken seriously as a politician if you just magically think things will turn out okay because the people are happy. You have to make these tough decisions.

“Look, I get that you love your hometown, but you have to face facts. Pawnee isn’t special. You’re in debt just like the dozens of other cities I’ve gone to all over the state. You’re no better than any of them.”

Her nostrils flared and her face was turning red with rage. “I can’t believe you! I can’t believe you can just be so cold and flippant about people’s lives, about _my_ town and the people that I love. I knew it. I just knew it. I thought that was the persona that you adopted. I thought who you were when it was just us was the real you, but it’s not. You _are_ Mean Ben. He’s the real you. I should have known that there was nothing I could do to make you see reason. God, I can’t believe that I almost _slept_ with you.”

If he wasn’t mad before, he certainly was now. “Excuse me? Was that all this weekend was to you? What our relationship has been since I came here? ‘Date Ben and maybe he’ll go easy on my department. _Fuck_ him and hope he goes easy on me.’ Are you really not above playing with my feelings for you to get what you want?”

She stepped back like she had been slapped. “Of course not. What kind of person do you take me for? I would never just ‘fuck’ you, as you so eloquently said so you’d give me more money. Okay, so maybe I had hoped that us being together would--”

“No,” he held up his hand and stopped her, “don’t say anything else. That’s all I needed to know.” He laughed lowly to himself. “God, _why_ did I think this would work?! You know, you’re not the first person to try and sleep with me to save their job, but you were the only one that I really cared about.”

She started blinking back angry tears. “That’s _not_ what I was trying to do. I would never do that.”

“No, of course not. You’d just snoop around my office and read the parks budget and then try to use our weekend together to plant thoughts in my head. It’d be _crazy_ to think that you’d go that far. What? If it didn’t work with me, were you going to try to seduce Chris next? Oh, maybe send Ann in to do your dirty work for you?”

“How dare you. You have no right to accuse me of those things or talk about me like that.”

“And you have no right to use how I felt about you to get what you want at the expense of so many other people. It’s selfish.”

Leslie just stood there, her jaw twitching and eyes filled with anger.

Good. She should be angry. He figured her out.

She shook her head and grabbed her bag. “You’re a jerk. And you’re right. I don’t know why we thought this would possibly work out. You might have a great face and an ass for days, but there is no way that I can be with someone so heartless. I don’t need you. I’ll figure out a way to save my department and make you eat your words. I’m leaving, and I just wish that I’ll never have to see you again.”

“Fine! Go! Might as well since I obviously can’t give you what you want. And don’t expect me to cover for you any more. You’re going to get treated just like everybody else.”

“Ha! Good luck trying to convince me that you did anything above and beyond for me. And bring on your worst, Wyatt. I can handle it.

She slammed the door behind her before he could reply.

He hurled a pillow across the room with an angry yell before throwing himself on the bed and screaming into the other pillow.

He wished Chris had never set him up on that stupid website, wished that Leslie never messaged him.

And he cursed the day he ever set foot in Pawnee.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of their fight, and what it might mean moving forward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I pre-apologize for the angst, but there will always be a happy ending. Thanks for sticking with me!

Leslie hadn’t even raised her hand to knock on Ann’s door before it opened and she fell into her gorgeous friend’s waiting arms.

“Leslie, what happened?”

“Ben’s the worst,” she said, sitting down on the couch and wiping angrily at tears she wished weren’t there. 

“Oh, my God. What did he do? Is it another woman? He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

“No, none of those. It’s just--ugh, I’m still so angry.”

“Okay, well, try to calm down and tell me what happened. Things were going so well.”

Leslie scoffed. “That’s what I thought until I realized he was the biggest jerk on the planet. So, the night actually started really well and dinner was great and we promised to not talk about work or budget stuff--”

“Uh oh.”

“But it was still fine. Then we went for a walk in the park and I was just innocently commenting on how it was really nice and what they were able to do with their budget. And he got kind of upset, but I let it go. Then we go to the room and it’s great, but I just can’t separate my work from my life like he can and I tried to talk to him about stuff, and he just flipped out.”

“What kind of stuff?”

“Mainly the budget stuff. And get this. He told me there was nothing to worry about. That he did his best with our budget. He  _ lied _ to me. And I told him that I read it and that’s when all hell broke loose. He accused me of purposely sneaking through his office and then he had the nerve to talk down to Pawnee and act like he was so great. He basically called me a floozy to my face and that I was just going to sleep with him to get my budget, and if I didn’t get what I wanted thought him, he wouldn’t be surprised if I went after Chris next!”

“Seriously?”

“Yes!” Leslie threw herself against the back of the couch and crossed her arms. “I can’t believe him. All this time I thought the Ben I was seeing at work wasn’t the real him. But it is. It was all an act to  _ me _ , and I feel so stupid.”

“Leslie, look, I think maybe you’re both overreacting here.”

“YOU are!”

“No, seriously, listen. I love you and I will support you 100% in whatever you decide and he had no right to accuse you of those things, but I also know you. That might not have been your intention, but I can see why it came across like you were just using him to get what you want.”

“Ann, I can’t believe you’re taking his side!”

“I’m not at all. I just know how you get sometimes and...I just think that a lot of this was just a big misunderstanding. I know you really care about him, but you also flat out told me you hoped you can use this time away with him to push your agenda, and when he caught on, it all blew up.”

Ann reached out and grabbed Leslie’s hand. “Look, I can’t tell you what to do or how to feel, but I remember how much happier you’ve been since you met him, all of the good qualities you told me he had. You might be 100% right and it was all an act and deep down he’s a huge jerk, but I don’t think it’s fair to throw away the months you’ve already put in on something that’s both of your fault.”

Leslie clenched her jaw, but eventually sighed. “You might be right, but I don’t think this is something that I can just get over. I probably shouldn’t have tried to use our time together to influence work stuff, but right now, professionally, he’s my biggest threat. I can’t just separate my life like that. And he might have overreacted a little, but I know he believed a lot of what he said, and I don’t think that’s someone I can be with.”

And all of a sudden, the emotions came rushing back, overwhelming her. She liked him. She liked him so much it almost hurt sometimes, but it went too far.

She wished he had never come to Pawnee. They were perfectly fine until he had come poking around at her budget, until she had to meet Mean Ben.

Leslie didn’t realize she was sobbing until Ann pulled her into one of her amazing hugs, rubbing her back.

“It’s okay, Leslie. Maybe you guys can talk it over or something. It can still work out.”

Leslie cried harder because she honestly didn’t know if it could.

~~~~~

Ben stayed the night in the room because fuck it, he already paid for it. Might as well sleep in a bed that probably didn’t have bedbugs. He couldn’t say the same about his mattress at the Super Suites.

Plus, he really didn’t want to go back to Pawnee yet.

He stewed in his anger for longer than would be considered healthy, then pulled out the bottle of wine he had packed away for the weekend.

Half of the bottle was already gone when he picked up his phone and called his brother.

“Yo, Benji! I thought this was your romantic weekend away. Don’t tell me it’s been so long that you’ve forgotten what to do.”

“She’s gone.”

“What?”

Ben took another swig from the bottle. “She’s gone. We got into a fight and she’s gone.”

“So you had your first fight. Find her and talk to her and apologize and--”

“No, you don’t get it. This wasn’t a stupid fight. Turns out she snooped around my office and found her department’s budget. She didn’t like it very much and was gonna use this weekend to try to convince me to give her more money. Like fucking the auditor will magically make her city not broke. Like all of a sudden I’d be okay with taking money from a more essential department so she doesn’t have to shut down her basket weaving class at the rec center.”

Henry sucked in a breath. “Are you sure, man? That doesn’t sound like Leslie.”

“I’m pretty damn sure. She thinks that just because we were dating she could come in and tell me how to do  _ my  _ job. Like her town was so fucking special that money would just appear out of thin air to save it.”

Henry was silent for a while and it just pissed Ben off even more.

“What? You don't have anything to say. You think I’m wrong?!”

“No, not wrong, necessarily.”

“Then what?” he spat.

“Look, I’ve known you your entire life, and you can be a stubborn ass sometimes. You’ve been through a lot of shit, and I think that makes you jump to really terrible conclusions about people. From what you’ve told me about Leslie, she seems really dedicated to her job, and maybe she just got in over her head, but you had a great thing going long before you went to audit her. So she thought that because you two were an item, you might go easy on her, but I don’t think that was her motivation to be with you. I’m not saying what she did was right, but you’ve not been known to react the best either.”

“So I do my job and everything is my fault?”

“I never said that. I just know that you go into these towns and do what you have to do and leave. You never care how you treat the people there. But she’s your girlfriend. You can’t treat her like a stupid nobody all day and then expect things to be okay once you’re off the clock. I’m saying maybe you  _ both  _ could have done things differently, that’s all.”

“Well, it’s too late to do anything about that now. Some of the stuff that was said can’t be taken back, and even if it could, how long until something happens again? Until I have no choice but to cut something from her budget and she takes it out on me?”

Henry sighed. “I don’t have an answer to that. But I think you owe it to each other to at least talk about it. At the very least, you owe her an apology, right?”

“Maybe,” he mumbled.

“Look, Leslie sounds...intense, and intense people get blinded sometimes, but I don’t think she meant to hurt you. Doesn’t change the fact that she did, but you should talk it out and see what happens.”

“I don’t know, Henry. This whole thing's just a huge mess. We were sneaking around and I just think what we had was too new to to survive something like this.”

“Yeah, but I know you care about her enough still that you’ll never forgive yourself if you don’t try to talk it through with her. At least be on good terms.”

Ben fingered the label on the wine bottle. “I hate it when you’re right. But I think we just both need time to cool off. A part of me knows that what you’re saying makes sense, but I’m still so angry that I can’t think straight.”

“I get it. You gonna be okay?”

“I think so.”

He wasn’t completely lying.

Ben downed the rest of the wine and passed out on the bed. 

At least the towels were nice.

~~~~~

Monday came, and she didn’t see Ben once. 

It was a good thing, honestly. She wasn’t ready to face him or talk to him, assuming he ever wanted to speak to her again, but there was still this desire deep inside of her to see him. And also slap him in the face.

Late that afternoon, an envelope appeared on her desk: the official parks budget.

Leslie was afraid to open it even though she knew what it said.

Scratch that, she  _ thought _ she knew what it said. For all she knew, Ben took out his anger on her on her department, slashing their budget down even more. 

He technically had the power, and if what he had said was true, he stuck his neck out for her. There was nothing obligating him to that anymore. He could treat her just like everybody else.

She breathed slowly and pulled the papers out.

It was the same. It was exactly the same. Not even a comma had been added or taken away.

She still hated it. Hated what it represented and what it was still going to take away from her department, but the fact that nothing had changed made her irrationally emotional. 

By the next morning she had idea binders coming out of her ears, and she was furious at herself that whatever it was that had happened between them was making her afraid to talk to Ben.

This was her job, her department,  _ her life _ , and she couldn’t let a fight with boyfriend (ex-boyfriend?) interfere with that. 

She waited until she knew Chris was on his afternoon run, grabbed her binders, and stormed Ben’s office. 

One way or another, they were going to talk.

~~~~~

Ben was staring blankly at the open spreadsheet when his door slammed shut, and of course Leslie Knope was standing there with binders in her hands and a determined look on her face.

“Look, we need to talk,” she said without preamble. “A lot of stuff happened and was said and obviously we’ve been trying to avoid one another but I still have a job to do and I can’t do it if I’m too scared to talk to you. So I’d really like to talk about what happened and see what we can do to move past it. Or at least what we can do so we can both do our jobs.”

He sighed. “You’re right.”

She looked a little surprised by his answer and sat down on the chair across from him.

“Oh, okay. Good. Well, I’ll start because this was my idea.”

He smiled despite himself. “Okay, go right ahead.”

“I’m going to honest. You hurt me. You really hurt me. You said things that I don’t know if I can easily forgive. You accused me of only wanting to sleep with you to get my budget. You basically called me stupid and naive, and insulted my town.” She took a deep breath and slumped her shoulders. “But I did some things I’m not proud of either. I did use our time together to try to get you to change your mind, but please, you have to know that I was not just with you for that. 

“I guess I just figured it would come with the territory, you know? I wanted you to see my side, not try to seduce you into signing over your budget to me. I don’t know, it just hurt that every time I tried to talk to you about it you brushed me off. I thought I had earned more respect from you than that. But it was unfair of me to exploit our relationship in  _ any _ way.” She sighed again. “So there, that’s it. I’m sorry.”

Well, that was...not quite what he was expecting at all.

“I’m sorry, too. I had no right to accuse you of those things and I realized that I was exploiting our relationship, too, just in a different way. I guess I just expected you to blindly trust my judgement and not challenge me, which I know isn’t in your nature at all. I relied too much on the personal life/work life divide and treated you just like anyone else. And even though I can’t show favoritism, I know you well enough that I should have been more open with you. I guess I’ve been burned too many times before, and when I thought that you were using me too, I snapped. I said things I regret and wish I could take back.”

Leslie bit her lip. “So where does that leave us?”

“I don’t know,” he said putting his head in his hands. “I do still care about you. Very much, but I just don’t know if this could work.”

“Why not?” Her voice was less steady than before, and it killed him. 

“Because of all of the trouble that it’s caused already. We can’t change who we are. There’s no way to guarantee that either one of us is going to use our relationship as an unintentional bargaining tool. I’m still going to have to make cuts and you’re going to fight me on each and every one of them. I don’t want to be, but the fact is that while your city is in debt, I’m your enemy. We can’t just turn off those feelings at the end of the day. You have to know I’m right, deep down.”

“Yeah, I know. I wish it didn’t have to be that way.”

“Trust me, I do, too. But I think it’s for the best.”

Leslie nodded. “Okay. But, uhm, do you think, after, if we come out the other side not hating each other’s guts, maybe we could try again?”

“I’d like that.”

She smiled, and he just wanted to kiss her with everything he had. But he knew they were right. There was too much other crap to make it work right now.

“Oh, and thank you for not messing with the budget, either. I know I accused you of not really caring, but I talked with a few other department heads, and we came out better than a lot of them. So, thank you for that and for not changing it once you were mad at me.”

“I wouldn’t do that. I made the budget and it works and I’m sticking with it.”

“But you know I still hate it, right?”

He laughed. “I guessed as much from the binders.”

“I know I kind of just stormed in here, but do you have a few minutes to actually talk and go over stuff?”

“I have a spare half hour or so before my next meeting. But Leslie, I’m saying this as a friend. This is only the first round. If we delve deeper and it’s worse than we thought, things could change. Something like a government shutdown isn’t out of the realm of possibility.”

Leslie nodded slowly, taking it all in. “Okay. Well, I think we better hurry up and get started, then.”


	14. Go Big or Go Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for a shorter chapter, but this is just to get the ball rolling towards the Harvest Festival!
> 
> So I'm using the episodes as more of a guide than anything at this point, so while we're kind of following the canon timeline from here on out, there will definitely be some differences in how things come about and how certain characters interact. Hope you enjoy! Your love for this story makes my heart happy <3

To say that the last few months had been hard and all around weird would be an understatement.

It turned out that Pawnee’s government was in worse shape than Leslie had thought, and Ben’s prediction of a total government shutdown came true.

There wasn’t much fighting for Ron to pass on the position of “essential employee” to her, and so she spent the majority of the summer alone in the office working on ideas and attending every budget meeting she could. 

As terrible as it was having no parks and no money and no coworkers, the weird tension with Ben just added insult to injury.

They were civil, that wasn’t the issue. It was just...weird.

She scheduled meetings with him whenever she could to propose new ideas, and sometimes they’d disagree so passionately that voices were raised and tensions were high and--

And she would leave angry and flustered and so turned on she couldn’t stand it.

How was she supposed to work with him? How was she supposed to argue for her side when his stupid face and stupid mouth spouting stupid budget nonsense made her want to take him right there on his desk?

It was a weird feeling. She reasoned that it was just a different kind of passion. The anger and the yelling and the disagreements making her lady parts confused.

She often wondered if Ben had the same problem. If he ever wanted to just shut her up with his mouth.

Not that she ever had those thoughts. And she definitely never had a sex dream with Ben where he went to town on her in the middle of a budget meeting.

Nope, no sir, none of those thoughts for Leslie Knope.

She was also getting really good at living in denial. 

But she had more important things to worry about besides Ben and his stupid face and hair and plaid shirts. She had a department to keep afloat, parks to save, a City to help. She didn’t have time to have a guy occupy her thoughts so much. Especially when said guy was the reason this was happening.

Maybe it was a bit unfair, but the only way she could control herself was to blame him, and it worked...sometimes. 

Yeah, it was totally be fine.

~~~~~

Ben received yet another email from Leslie requesting to set up a meeting, and he wanted to rip his hair out for about a million different Leslie Knope related reasons.

The government shutdown was obviously hard on everyone, and there had been a part of him that was relieved Leslie was considered non-essential. He didn’t think he could handle being around her all of the time given the really conflicting feelings he was having. 

But of course, Ron relinquished his essential status to her without a fight and now he was forced to see her day in and day out, front and center in every budget meeting.

It’s not that he didn’t  _ want _ to see her, it was just...seeing her was hard. Every day her passion and devotion chipped away at him, chipped away at his resolve to not let anything happen until he was done fixing her budget. 

Because it was a bad idea. Sometimes she drove him so crazy he wanted to scream, and other times...well, she drove him a different kind of crazy.

He was obviously still attracted to her. That didn’t change, but instead of their working together driving them apart like he almost hoped, it just made things more complicated.

He admired her more every day. She was stubborn and hardheaded and passionate and her brain worked in a way that didn’t seem possible. 

Yeah, she was a bit too idealistic for her own good sometimes, but she never gave up, and he had to give her credit for that.

And sometimes when her face would scrunch up and she’d yell at him, he...felt things. Things he wasn’t supposed to feel. Things that made his pants a little bit tighter. 

It was its own form of torture, having to see her day in and day out without being able to act on any of his confusing and conflicting feelings. But he could do it.

He didn’t have a choice. He just knew that the sooner he finished his job, the better.

But no matter what, it was going to feel like an eternity.

~~~~~

So, good news: the government was back up and running again after three long months.

The bad news? Oh, well, as Ben so graciously informed them, they’re in maintenance mode, and barely have enough money for two basketball teams, so that’s...fun.

Basically, her entire town is going to be ruined forever and she’s already had to deal with dozens of angry townspeople complaining to her about all of the programs being cut.

And Ben couldn’t seem to care less. Today was one of those “I’m glad I’m not dating a heartless, budget cutting jerkface” kind of days.

“So what are you going to do?” Ann asked, and Leslie groaned, her head on her desk.

“I don’t know. Ben seems to have absolutely no faith in us and so far the only idea I’ve had was to take advantage of Chris’ obvious attraction to you and see if you could convince him to give us more money, but that would mean I’m just what Ben accused me of, wouldn’t it?”

“Yeah, pretty much.”

“Ugh, I don’t know what else to do? Ben has said no to every single one of my ideas. We’re stuck doing absolutely nothing. I mean, back when I was a kid, the Parks Department used to do such great things. The Winter Jamboree, the Harvest Festival. People used to come from all over and it was amazing. Now I’m stuck trying to see if we can use sheep as lawn mowers. I just wish we could do stuff like that again.”

“Well,” Ann said slowly, “why don’t you?”

“What?”

“Why don’t you do it? You’re Leslie Knope, dammit, and you don’t give up without a fight. Figure out a way to do something else huge.”

Leslie’s eyes went wide. “Oh, Ann, you gorgeous, glorious mastermind. That’s it. I know how we’re going to save the department. Everyone else will have to be on board, but I’m going to make Ben and Chris and offer they can’t refuse.”

“Yay! I love it.”

Leslie was already running out of the door before even finished. 

~~~~~

Ben watched as Leslie’s team stood behind her in solidarity as she spoke, and he did his best to keep what he hoped was a neutral face. 

“And we’ll earn all of that money back. Believe me, people will come.”

“What if they don’t?”

She sighed, looking back at Ron who nodded slowly at her.

“Well, then you eliminate the Parks Department.”

His eyes almost bulged out of his head. 

This was crazy. Leslie was willing to risk her job,  _ her department _ , on blind faith that this outrageous idea would work.

“And you guys are all on board with this?”

The nods and chorus of agreement soon followed.

God, she was good. 

And the second he heard Chris sniffle, he knew he was done for.

It definitely had nothing to do with the way Leslie was looking at him with those pleading eyes, they way she spoke so passionately about what she believed was best for her town. What she was willing to sacrifice to make her town just a little bit better.

It was a bad idea. If she lost her job, he didn’t think he could ever forgive himself, but at the same time…

She knew what she was doing, probably better than anyone else in this entire building, and if anyone could make this work, it would be her.

“Yeah, alright.”

She smiled at him in a way that made his insides twist when he tossed back the pumpkin.

The music for the dance party was already playing when he left the office, but a hand on his arm stopped him.

“Hey.” She was smiling again, and if anything else, he had the satisfaction of knowing he helped make her that happy. “Thank you. Honestly, thank you.”

He shrugged. “You came up with a good plan. I had no good reason to say no.” He took a step closer to her and lowered his voice. “But, Leslie, are you sure? This is going to be a big deal. If this doesn’t work out, you will all lose your jobs and--”

“Ben, please, just stop. Can you have faith in me--in my department-- for once? We can do this, and it will be amazing and save our budget. I know you don’t think we can do it--”

“That’s not true,” he said before he could stop himself. “I think you can do anything you set your mind to do, but I still have to look at the facts. It’s going to be hard and there is always that chance that it won’t work. It’s not that I don’t have faith in you. I’m worried about you. Trust me, I know first hand what something like this can cause.”

Her eyes softened. “I know it’s a risk, and I appreciate your concern, I really do, but if you live your life always worried about how everything could fail or go wrong, you won’t accomplish anything. I have faith in my team to get this done and in the people of this town to come and support us.”

If only she knew just how much he wanted to believe that.

“Well, I want to help in any way that I can, okay? Just let me know what I can do.”

She nodded, their eyes locking for a lot longer than would be considered ‘professional’.

“Uhm, well,” she cleared her throat and pointed behind her, “I better get in on that dance party before we have to brainstorm some more, but I’ll let you know what help we need.”

“Yeah, that’s good. Just...just let me know.”

Leslie bit her lip before reaching out to take his hand, and every single nerve that touched her skin tingled.

“We won’t let you down, I promise.”

He didn’t smile until her back was already turned, and he swore that he’d do whatever he could to make this dream of hers come true. 


	15. Flu Season/Ron and Tammy Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! The next few chapters will just be going through the "episodes" but as they fit into this universe, so I did borrow some dialogue, but there are definitely differences. We're getting close to the home stretch (and an end to the angst....soon I promise) and I love all of you for your support of this story.

Leslie didn’t feel like she was floating so much anymore, and the room definitely stopped spinning, but she still felt like crap.

But it was okay because she had given her speech and now it was up to Ben and Tom to make sure they had enough businesses to make it work. 

She was exhausted, but her eyes refused to close until she knew for sure. This was only the first step, and if not enough businesses participated, they were done for before they even started.

Leslie was already thinking of a backup plan when Ben knocked and poked his head in.

“Oh, hey.”

He ducked his head a little and came in with two containers in his hand. “Hey. I just, uh, wanted to check in on you and see how you were doing.” He held up the food. “I got you some waffles, courtesy of JJ’s Diner, and some chicken soup, courtesy of me.”

Her stomach rumbled, and for the first time in what felt like days, she felt good enough to eat something instead of throwing it back up. “I’ll take the waffles,” she said, reaching for the take-out box.”

He smiled, and for some reason it felt like her heart was being squeezed by a vice. “I figured. I’ll just leave the soup here, though. It’s a family recipe. No big deal.”

She paused mid-bite into her waffles and watched him set the soup down at the bedside table.

It’s a bit fuzzy how she knows, probably from one of their countless conversations about nothing, but she remembers him mentioning that soup before. His mother would make it for him whenever he was sick. It took hours, but he said that soup always made him feel better, if only because of the love and time his mother took to make it.

That feeling was back again in the pit of her stomach. He probably had to call his mother for this recipe. He had to go to the grocery store and buy all of the ingredients and then make it in the crappy kitchenette in his motel room.

He did all of that for her.

“Thank you for that,” she smiled back. “I’m so hungry I’m pretty sure I’ll devour that after these waffles. So,” she says after taking another bite, “how’d it go?”

“You know how we needed 80 total business to participate?”

“Yeah,” she said slowly.

“We have 110 and counting. So, uh, nice work, Leslie.”

Her smile was so wide, her cheeks almost started to hurt. “Nice work to you, too.”

Ben lowered his head and she swore that his neck was turning red. “Nah, I didn’t really do anything, but you--” He stopped and sighed. “You were amazing. Honestly, I can’t believe you were able to do that as sick as you were.” It looked like he wanted to say something else, but he stopped himself.

She just shrugged. “I did what I had to do, but don’t sell yourself short, you’ve been really helpful with all of this and it means a lot to me.”

“I told you that I was gonna do whatever I could to make this work.”

He stood here, his hands in his pockets like he wasn’t ready to leave, and honestly she didn’t want him to go either.

Which was bad. Very bad. 

So when she patted a spot at the foot of her bed and said “Share some with me” when she reached for her soup, she blamed it on the flu medicine. 

It took him a second, but it looked like whatever battle he was having with himself in his mind was over when he sat himself on the edge of her hospital bed. 

Leslie grabbed a spare bowl and spoon from an earlier meal and handed it to him.

“Oh, wow,” Leslie said as the first warm spoonful went down her throat, “this  _ is _ really good.”

“I told you. Old family recipes stick around for a reason. I can give it to you if you want.”

“Oh, no. It’d be wasted on me. I can’t make a good soup to save my life. I guess you’ll have to just--”

She stopped herself before she could finish. 

_ I guess you’ll have to make all of the soup from now on _ . 

But no, she couldn’t say that. Not now. Whatever it was they were doing right now was already violating whatever rules they had set up for themselves. And Leslie always tried to follow the rules.

Even if they were stupid and right now seemed pointless and all they did was make her unable to make out with his really awesome face. 

Ben asked more about the Harvest Festival as they ate their soup, questions she was pretty sure he knew the answer to. But she didn’t care about that either. If it took him asking questions to have an excuse to stick around, she’d take it.

When her bowl was empty and her stomach warm and full, she leaned back against her pillow with a yawn. 

“I should let you sleep.”

“No, no, it’s okay. You don’t have to go yet.”

He only smiled when she yawned again, her eyes slipping shut against her will.

As she drifted off, she heard Ben cleaning up, and she missed the warmth of his body near her legs.

The last thing she remembered was Ben’s lips on her forehead.

~~~~~

Ben’s phone buzzed in his pocket, and he pulled it out to see a text from Chris. He made his way down the hall to his room to find the once ill man gearing up for another run.

“Hey, I got your message. What’s up?”

“I got a call from the boys upstairs. And they have a new assignment for us.”

For some reason Ben felt his stomach bottom out.

This was what he wanted, right? To no longer be in charge of Leslie’s budget and see if they could try a relationship again without the added stress of work.

But that also meant a new town, possibly on the other side of the state, and he wouldn’t be able to help her anymore, and right now, that meant more to her than anything else.

“Oh, okay.”

“Yeah. And I feel like we should ask for an extension to stay here.”

“Yes, definitely,” he said without thinking. “You know The festival thing's getting pretty huge, and, uh, couple loose ends that need tying up.”

“Good, so I'll make the call, then, to get the extension?”

Ben couldn’t agree fast enough, and for whatever reasons Chris wanted to stay--although he suspected a certain nurse played a huge part--Ben was grateful. 

Because more than anything, he wanted to help Leslie, even if it meant putting whatever it was they had on hold for just a little while longer.

~~~~~

The whole Ron and Tammy crisis had been averted, and Ben actually went and sorted things out with the Chief despite his overwhelming fear of cops.

It was another one of those things that she just  _ knew _ about him. She warned him, told him he didn’t have to come with her to talk to the chief the first time, but he insisted.

And if she was being honest with herself, she loved all the help he was giving her. She loved that they were able to spend time together, even if it wasn’t exactly in the way she wanted.

Plus, she had the Harvest Festival to focus on, and most of the time it was enough.

But right now, him standing in her doorway with his stupid jacket and skinny tie telling her that he confronted one of his biggest fears--for her-- made her feel weak.

“Hey, are you hungry? I haven't eaten.”

She should say no because spending more time with him wasn’t going to help her at all, but she didn’t. 

“You know, yeah. There's a really great calzone place over in Idiotville.”

“Oh, really?”

“Down on Terrible Idea Avenue.”

“Okay. That's weird. 'Cause I thought it was on beating-a-dead-horse boulevard.”

His smile was just too precious and she couldn’t resist making him sweat just a little.

“Calzones are pointless. They're just pizza that's harder to eat. No one likes them. Good day, sir.”

When his face started to fall, she knew she had him, and it took all she had to not burst out into giggles.

“Leslie, I- you know, I-”

God, his voice is just too cute when he’s nervous and worried. “I'm just kidding. Let's go.”

“Oh. Okay. That was funny.”

Leslie cackled. “You should have seen your face. Come on, we’ve already had this conversation before. Like a dozen times. I’ve come to terms with your terrible taste in food.”

He shook his head. “Yeah, I know, but you scared me there for a second. Meet at JJ’s?”

“Yup, of course.”

She was already in their booth when Ben walks in, and there was that split second where she apparently forgot about everything else, waving him over with a smile and almost leaning over to kiss him like she used to.

“You wanted your usual, right?” she asked when he slid in across from her. “Cuz I ordered already out of habit, but there’s still time to change it if--”

“No, no that’s fine. Thanks.”

He smiled at her again, and it all just felt so domestic. 

This was what couples did, right? Go out after work, talk with each other. So, why were they torturing themselves again?

“So, thank you, again, for talking to the chief for me. I know how you feel about, you know, cops, and you didn’t have to do that.”

“Don’t thank me. I wanted to do it. You, uh, you’ve got quite a fan in the chief, though. Barely had to state my case and once he knew it was for you, that’s all he needed.”

That was definitely admiration in Ben’s eyes, and she liked it.

“It’s nothing,” she said with a shrug.

“I don’t think so. The people in this town really respect you.”

“It’s because I respect them and do my best to help them. I actually make the effort to listen and not just brush them aside.” She saw him grimace and stopped. “Sorry, I didn’t really mean it in a way to call you out or anything.”

“No, it’s fine. And you’re right. You help people and everyone sees that. I wouldn’t have been able to do what you did for Ron if it meant possibly losing what we needed for the Harvest Festival. I guess that’s what makes you a much better person than me.”

“Stop it,” she said, and she meant it. He was too damn deprecating for his own good sometimes, and while a few weeks ago at the height of her Ben hatred, she might have agreed with him, everything he’s done for her since then has been changing her mind. “You’re a great person. You help people, in your own way. You definitely don’t need to be helping me with the Harvest Festival as much as you are. I mean, you confronted one of your biggest fears for me. A terrible person wouldn’t do that.”

Ben nodded slowly, taking a sip of his coffee. “You really do see the best in people, don’t you?”

“Not always.”

Not with you, she wanted to say, but she didn’t. She assumed the worst of him, assumed that he’d try to screw her and her department over, and she might have ruined everything because of it.

He seemed to know what she was thinking, and he dropped his gaze. “Uh, yeah, I think all of us jump to conclusions and assume the worst sometimes. And end up hurting people we really care about.”

“Yeah.”

The food came and it was a welcome distraction from whatever it was that was starting to happen, but the tension was still there.

She’d look up just in time to see his eyes flick away from her, but it’s not like she could judge since she was doing the exact same thing.

Leslie insisted on paying the check as a thank you for talking to Trumple, and after a few good protests, he finally relented. 

“Well, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow,” Ben said as they walked to their cars, but Leslie cut him off.

“What are we doing?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean what are we doing to ourselves?”

“Leslie--”

His voice was low and had a warning edge to it, but she didn’t care.

“No, Ben, I’m serious. It’s getting ridiculous. So we both screwed up and said some really hurtful things, but that’s over now. We’re trying to achieve the same goal and work for the Harvest Festival. It’s stupid that we just keep torturing ourselves and--”

Oh, god. What if he didn’t want to be with her anymore?

She hadn’t even thought of that, and maybe all of this weirdness was because he didn’t know how to tell her that it didn’t matter if he left Pawnee next week or next month. Either way he just didn’t feel the same for her anymore.

“Leslie?”

“You don’t have feelings for me anymore,” she said softly and tried really really hard not to cry. “I feel like such an idiot. I--”

“No, that’s not it at all.” He reached out and grabbed her arms. “God, Leslie, do you know how hard it’s been for me to  _ not _ let how I feel about you get in the way and ruin everything? How I’ve only cared about you more and more the more I get to know you, the more I see how amazing you are?”

“Then what’s stopping us?”

His hands started rubbing up and down her arms, and she didn’t even think he knew what he was doing, but it gave her goosebumps. “Nothing’s changed, though, Leslie. I’m still technically here as an auditor. I’m still in charge of your budget for the festival, and if anything got out, we could both be in serious trouble” He sighed and dropped his hands. “And maybe I’m still scared of screwing this up. We thought everything would be fine the last time, but all it took was one thing and it all blew up. I’m afraid to risk it going so far that there’s no turning back if something goes wrong.”

Leslie nodded and stepped forward to wrap her arms around Ben’s waist. “I know,” she said into his chest, his chin resting on the top of her head. “I just miss you. We used to have so much fun together, and I miss that. I mean, I miss the other stuff, too, but I also miss just having you to talk to. Can’t we at least be friends?”

She felt him stiffen, but it only lasted a second. “Yeah, I’d like that. Build back what we had and hopefully it’ll make us stronger when we want to try this again.”

It wasn’t what she wanted, but she’d take it. 

She stepped back and mustered a smile. “I should...I should probably get home. I have some Harvest Festival stuff I wanted to work on. We have to start thinking about promoting everything, and I want to be prepared.”

“Uh, yeah, I should probably get going, too. Let me know if I can help, okay?”

“I will.” 

He was about to walk to his car when he stopped himself, taking a step towards Leslie and kissing her cheek.

Definitely not in a friendly way either.

“Please know how hard this is for me,” he whispered, his mouth close to her ear. “I would give almost anything in the world to be with you, but not if it comes at the expense of everything you’ve worked for. I would never be able to forgive myself if that happened.”

Ben walked away without another word, and Leslie drove home trying her best not to cry while her cheek burned from Ben’s lips.

All she had to do was survive a few more weeks.


	16. Media Blitz

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I ended up posting this later than usual. This past week has been crazy. Hopefully this will make up for it!

Ben had his phone cradled against his shoulder while he input the poll results into his spreadsheet.

He’d probably be up all night working, but the Harvest Festival was only two weeks away and there was still so much left to do.

Besides, he had company.

“Okay,” said Leslie’s voice on the other end of the line, “so I’ve finalized the list of vendors and started working on a tentative layout of the booths. Oh, and the interviews are all lined up. How are you doing with those numbers?”

“Okay, I guess. Inputting them now. I’ll be able to give you results by tomorrow morning.”

“Awesome. You’re still good to come with us tomorrow, right?”

“Yeah, I guess so. I don’t know what good I’ll be, but I’ll go.”

He heard Leslie sigh. “Would you stop. We need you, okay? You’re our numbers guy. If anyone asks anything about the budget, we’ll be lost without you.”

He knew they wouldn’t be. Leslie knew every, tiny part of this Harvest Festival--including the budget, but he didn’t argue.

If he was being honest, he was glad that he was spending more time with her. Totally platonic and professional time. And he hoped maybe she was, too.

“Well, it’s definitely nice to be needed.” He heard glass clanking and wrinkled his forehead. “What are you doing?”

“I’m getting into my zone,” she said. “I have my laptop and several empty binders and--”

“Oh, yeah. Your wine. You like getting into your zone with wine.”

She giggled, and he heard the faint sound of liquid sloshing into a glass.

Ben could see it so clearly in his head. Leslie curled up on her couch in her pajamas and fuzzy slippers surrounded by papers, her laptop propped on the coffee table and glass of wine in her hand.

He lost count of the number of Skype calls that started just like that, and the memory made his heart ache a little.

“You know me well, Ben. And I have a feeling it’s going to be a long night, so I’m preparing myself.”

“I don’t blame you.”

There was a brief silence before he heard her laugh softly to herself. “You remember that night that we were on the phone and ended up watching an _Antiques_ _Roadshow_ marathon until like two in the morning?”

Of course he remembered. 

It was a few weeks after they had started talking and established their routine of watching tv together. He didn’t remember laughing so much in months.

And it was the first time he felt that he might have feelings for her.  _ Real  _ feelings.

“Uh, yeah, I do. It was fun.”

Leslie sighed. It was a sad sigh that he felt in his soul. She didn’t have to say a word, and he knew exactly what she was feeling.

“But anyway,” she said quickly, sounding like her usual, bubbly self, “it’ll be a long night, but that just means we’re getting closer and closer to the Harvest Festival and all of our hard work will have been worth it.”

He really hoped that was true, because right now, he wasn’t so convinced.

“Yeah, it’ll definitely have been worth it.”

~~~~~

To say the radio interview went ridiculously terrible would be the understatement of the century.

Ben blew it. Big time. Like super, crazy, he could ruin everything big time. But at the same time, Leslie felt so bad for him, she didn’t know what to do.

Ice Town was his kryptonite, and the second the words came out of Crazy Ira and the Douche’s mouths, Leslie watched as he crumbled right before her eyes, and to say she was pissed would be a close second for the understatement of the century.

It was honestly painful to witness, and while she was angry that her Harvest Festival pitch had been derailed, she also wanted to gouge Crazy Ira and the Douche’s eyes out for treating Ben that way.

And she couldn’t stay mad at him. He looked like a little, nervous, sweaty, kicked puppy.

Leslie poked her head into the studio and waved Ben over.

“Look, I am  _ so _ sorry,” he said in a rush. “I don’t--I don’t know what happened. It’s like the second they mentioned Ice Town, I froze and my brain suddenly stopped working.”

“No, Ben, really, it’s fine. It’s just a minor setback. I can do some damage control.”

“Okay. Just as long as I don’t have to do any of that again, I’ll be fine.”

Leslie plastered on a wide smile and nodded. “Yeah! I mean, that sounds like a great plan, but I also have a plan. I do the newspaper interview and you go with Tom and do the Perd Hapley interview on Channel Four! That’ll be fun, right?”

“Leslie,” Ben groaned, “don’t make me do this. Tom doesn’t need me. I’ll just ruin everything--again.”

“But, Ben, we really need you. I told you, you're our numbers guy. All you have to do is sit there. Perd Hapley is a big softie. Let Tom do all of the talking and you only have to worry if he asks you questions about the budget. You’ll do fine. Please?”

She pouted, knowing full well the kind of power she had over him when she did that, and as usual, it didn’t fail. 

“Fine,” he said, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Fine, I’ll go, but I’m not making any promises.”

“Would you stop,” she told him with a playful slap on his shoulder. “You’ll do great. Seriously, what’s the worst that could happen?”

Turns out, the worst that could happen was a thousand times worse than anything she could have imagined.

He made a complete fool of himself--and the festival in the process-- and Leslie was also irrationally jealous of stupid Cindy Eckert for absolutely  _ no _ reason. 

So he probably felt her up seventeen years ago and that was more action that Leslie’s seen in awhile. So she’s had dreams about Ben doing... _ things _ to her that he probably already did with Cindy. So what? She had bigger things to worry about.

Businesses were threatening to pull out left and right, and if she didn’t do something quick, the Harvest Festival would be over before it started.

Right now their only hope was the  _ Pawnee Today _ interview, and Joan hated her guts, so that should be fun.

Tom had gone to go freshen up before going down to the studio, and poor Ben, he just sat there on the edge of Tom’s desk like a kid waiting outside of the principal’s office.

“Okay,” he said slowly. “Tom’s gone. You can actually let me have it now.”

“What?” she asked without looking up as she frantically gathered interview notes.

“You can tell me how I single handedly ruined the Harvest Festival. How I seem to bring bad luck no matter where I go. That it’s Ice Town all over again and you would have been better off if I never offered to help out at all.”

Ben might have an adorable face, great hair, and a butt too perfect to belong to any mortal man, but he also had a guilt complex about the size of the state, and it was getting old.

“Stop it. Seriously, just stop. Yeah, so you screwed up. You went on camera and you choked and freaked out and you might have done a lot of damage.”

“If you were trying to make me feel better, it’s not working--”

“My point is that yeah, it happened and it was bad, but we need to just work twice as hard to fix it. You went off the deep end, but they tried to score a few cheap shots on you with the Ice Town stuff. It wasn’t fair to you at all, and hopefully I can set the record straight on Joan’s show and promote the festival.”

“Yeah but if it wasn’t for me none of this would have happened.”

Leslie shoved the last bits of papers into her padfolio and slammed it shut, staring him in the eye. “And if it wasn’t for you, we wouldn't be having a Harvest Festival in the first place. So I’m gonna need you to pull yourself out of this puddle of self-loathing goo you’re in and help us out of this mess. You got it?”

Ben’s eyes were wide in a mixture of fear and shock. It took a little while, but he eventually nodded his head slowly.

“Good,” she said, shoving everything she needed into her bag. “Now let’s get going. We absolutely cannot be late for this. And for the love of God, whatever you do, don’t talk to anyone.”

“Uh, yeah, sure. I can do that.”

She passed him on her way out of the office, Ben following close behind. “Wait, is that a new suit?”

He paused, tightening the knot on his tie and smoothing his hands over the jacket. “Uhm, yeah. Tom made me get it before we went on Perd’s show.”

She gave him a critical once over before turning and walking again and told herself to keep her focus on making everything right.

Because despite the fact that Ben might have just ruined everything, he looked too damn good in a suit.

~~~~~

It felt good to laugh at himself.

The video was definitely cringe worthy, but Leslie had saved the day once again, and actual calls about the Harvest Festival flooded the phone lines during their segment on the show.

He even managed to answer a few questions about the budget and didn’t fumble his words once.

So yeah, he might have been a human disaster, but knowing that the Harvest Festival wasn’t going to fall apart because of him took a huge weight off of his chest. 

And even he had to admit his breakdown had it’s funny moments.

He didn’t know what to expect when Leslie waved him onto the set and in front of thousands of Pawneans, but the bottom line was that even after all of the problems he had caused her, Leslie had faith in him to make things right. 

He wasn’t ever going to stop owing her. 

Leslie was still laughing softly to herself as they left the conference room, Ben following her into her office.

“I’m sorry,” she giggled. “I know I shouldn’t still be so amused by your humiliation but--”

“Nah, it’s fine. You fixed the problem, so it’s okay to laugh at it all now. I mean, I showed the entire City scars on my stomach and then called him Turd Crapley. Even I have to concede to that.”

He tried not to stare at her mouth too much as she licked her lips and smiled again, absentmindedly tucking a curl behind her ear.

“It was pretty funny. And I didn’t fix the problem,  _ we _ did. You just needed to get a little confidence back, that’s all. You were finally able to stand up for yourself and set the record straight.” She winked. “All I did was pressure you into doing it.”

He would never understand her constant need to reassure him or to give him credit he really didn’t deserve, but it still felt nice.

It felt good to be a part of something bigger, a part of something that would be giving back instead of taking away.

It felt good to be working with Leslie.

Which was dangerous because that’s the whole reason they were staying apart to begin with. Personal and professional couldn’t mix. They were just too different to ever have a good working relationship.

Except they did. They  _ totally _ did. The line between work and friendship that had been haphazardly drawn was quickly getting blurred. 

Okay, it was basically obliterated.

They talked about personal stuff at work and talked about work stuff late at night on the phone over History Channel documentaries. 

There were times he had to stop himself from inviting her over or telling her how beautiful she looked that day or resting his hand on the small of her back as they walked into meetings together.

And there were moments when he caught her looking at him, too, and he wondered if maybe she was thinking the same thing.

“Well, regardless of who gets the credit, the most important thing is that I didn’t permanently ruin everything and the Harvest Fest is back and better than ever.”

She smiled, but her eyes quickly softened. “I know we were a little hard on you before, and I am sorry about that.”

“Leslie, stop it. You reacted like a completely normal person in this situation.  _ I  _ was the one--”

“No, just let me say this, okay? I know I’ve been stressed with this and sometimes snap and take it out on you, butI feel like none of this would have happened if I wasn’t so selfish.”

Now he was definitely confused. “Selfish? What are you talking about?”

She stepped in front of her desk to face him, and she was so close he could smell her perfume.

“This is partially my fault because...well because I should have seen this coming. I remember some of the stories you told me about how terrible you are doing interviews and things. Like that time you were at a little town just outside of Gary and the local news station tried to interview you and you ended up freaking out so badly that you just ran away during the middle of a live taping.”

He dropped his head into his hand. “Good Lord, I told you that?”

“Yeah,” she smirked. “It was during one of our wine nights and you were pretty tipsy. But the point is that I knew this was a possibility and I let it happen anyway.”

“I still don’t understand how that makes you selfish.”

“Because!” she shouted. “Because I wanted you to come with me, okay? I mean, I knew most of the budget stuff anyway, but I used that as an excuse because I wanted you there. I don’t know, I always get so excited when I do promotional work for the department, and I wanted you there to see me in action and be proud of me. Then after the radio interview, I felt so guilty that I wanted to give you the chance to fix everything, but that made it worse. 

“I should have never let you go alone with Tom. We needed to split up the teams and even though the newspaper would probably have been easier for you, I got worried and jealous of you talking to Shauna. I’m not proud of it, but it’s the truth.”

“Oh.”

His brain wasn’t functioning anymore, because if it was, he’d have said something a lot more eloquent. 

“And even though I put you through all of that, you still went and you still did something you were scared of because of me. To help me even though you didn’t have to. All of this you’ve been doing even though you don’t have to. And I know it’s for Pawnee, but I guess I like to think that it’s for me, too.”

“I--it has been. For you. For Pawnee, too. But I...I don’t know. I just wanted to help you and make you happy.”

I’d do anything for you, he wanted to say, but he never got the chance.

She looked at him with the most curious expression, and he wished now more than ever that he could read her mind. She shook her and and whispered ‘screw it’ under her breath, and she made that adorable little face that meant she was about to go for something she wanted.

And that something was him.

She grabbed him by the lapels of his new suit and pulled, her lips crashing into his in a kiss that even the poets couldn’t find the right words to describe. It was...everything. 

Leslie pulled away, staring up at him as his fingers curled into her hair. She was afraid, it was written all over her face, but not because she regretted it.

She was afraid he might.

But he didn’t. He could never regret being with her, holding her, kissing her. Right now, all he regretted was all of the time wasted because of his own, stupid fears.

He could see the apology forming on her lips, but he kissed her again before she could speak.

God, he had been such an idiot. How could he possibly think that this, that  _ she, _ wasn’t worth it. 

And no, he had no idea what was going to happen next, how they were going to handle the next few weeks as pseudo-coworkers and now...well, whatever it was that they were, but as his tongue slid past her lips, frankly, he didn’t care. 

He had Leslie, and he wasn’t going to let her go again. 


	17. Indianapolis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _But now? Now she had more than a few items to add to her list of “Things Ben is Amazing At”. There’s a list. Of course there’s a list. And yes, it was sex stuff. Really, really, awesome sex stuff. Seriously, mindblowingly awesome sex stuff. ___

Leslie knew that Ben was good at a lot of things. Yeah, he had this self-deprecating humor and downplayed nearly everything he did, but that didn’t change the facts.

He was good at his job, no matter how much Leslie didn’t want to admit it at first. He was good at making her laugh and talking to her like she was the only person in the universe. He made good chicken soup and knew exactly how she liked her coffee. Plus, he could kiss like it was nobody’s business.

These were all things she knew before last night, before she finally made out with that adorable mouth and they both decided they were stupid and being together was what they wanted more than anything. 

But now? Now she had more than a few items to add to her list of “Things Ben is Amazing At”. There’s a list. Of course there’s a list.

And yes, it was sex stuff. Really, really, awesome sex stuff. 

Seriously, mindblowingly awesome sex stuff.

After kissing in her office, they went back to Leslie's house, Ben parking around the corner so no one would suspect anything.

He might have said some things about the piles of newspapers and birdhouses, but his mouth was still pretty occupied and they made it to her room in record time.

He asked her if she was sure, if she knew for certain that this--that  _ he  _ was what she wanted.

But when he stared down at her with that look that told her she was the most amazing person he’s ever seen, she knew she'd never been more sure of anything in her life.

And there were no regrets. 

Besides him being amazing at everything and having a  _ ridiculously _ awesome penis-- no seriously A M A Z I N G -- this was Ben. This was her soulmate level match, the man who knew exactly what to do and say to make her feel better. 

The man who forgave her after she tried to use their relationship as a bargaining tool, who had been helping her non-stop with the Harvest Festival because he  _ wanted _ to, because he cared.

Turned out that the same level of detail he had on his work translated over into  _ everything. _

Not only did he have an amazing penis, but also mouth and hands and  _ all _ of them made her lady parts feel very, very awesome.

Like right now. 

Last night had been nearly perfect, and this morning was turning out to be pretty great, too.

Her hand raked through Ben’s hair and tugged sharply as his tongue flicked over her clit.

Good Lord, he deserved a damn medal or at the very least a Certificate of Excellence. Yeah, she should totally make him one.

Oh, or a plaque. She's got a guy for that.

He moaned and started sucking, and Jesus Christ her body was on fire. She raised her hips to add some friction and Ben's hand that didn't currently have two fingers inside of her grabbed her breast. 

She was so close, and as much as she loved Ben's perfect mouth, she was missing his also perfect dick.

She tugged harder on his hair and he raised his head.

“You okay?”

His mouth was wet and slick and his lips were swollen and  _ fuck. _

“I'm perfect. You...wow you're good at this, but I miss your penis.”

He smirked and instead of his cockiness pissing her off, it turned her on even more.

Ben wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and kissed his way back to her mouth.

He settled between her hips and oh, hello there.

“Did you just say ‘hello there’ to my penis?”

“Did I say that outloud?”

He laughed and nodded. “You're silly.”

“I'm very close to having another orgasm. So, you should get on that. Or me, specifically.”

“Gladly.”

He reached down between his legs and yup, there it was. His perfect penis that made her feel way too good.

And he made sure to tell her that she made him feel good, too.

Oh yeah, new Ben factoid: he had a filthy mouth, and Leslie loved it.

It surprised her at first. For some reason she wouldn't expect that from him, but good Lord, the way he told her how tight she was and how warm she felt and how long he'd been dreaming about fucking her….well who wouldn't get turned on?

Now, it was enough to push her just over the edge, and she could just hear him tell her how beautiful she looked when she came.

Leslie wrapped her legs around his hips, digging her heels into his ridiculously perfect ass, and it didn't take long for him after that, either.

Did she mention that he loved to cuddle? Because that, too, was awesome.

“Holy fuck, Leslie.”

His breath was warm and quick on her neck and she didn’t want to move, which was ridiculous for 6 in the morning. 

“Yeah. We're getting really good at this.”

His fingers danced across her belly. “They do say practice makes perfect.”

“We should practice a lot.”

“Yes, definitely. Just give me like 20 minutes.”

She giggled and turned to playfully slap his shoulder. “No, not now. It's already so late. We have to get ready for work and there's still so much to do for the Harvest Festival.”

Ben sighed and buried his nose in her neck. “Okay, okay. But I'd like to go on record saying that I'd rather do this than go into work.”

“Noted.” Leslie hopped out of the bed and made her way to the bathroom. “But, you know, we still need to shower…”

He scrambled out of the bed, chasing after her as she ran to the bathroom. 

It was a very long shower.

~~~~~

Ben wanted to go on record saying that Leslie’s bed was  _ so _ much better than that “mattress” he was forced to sleep on at the Super Suites. 

Plus, this had Leslie in it as his personal cuddling pillow, and she was a damn good cuddling pillow. 

It was a Saturday morning and Ben had spent the night. He honestly didn’t care if Chris wondered where he was when he knocked on his door trying to convince him to go on a morning run. He didn’t care that the state was paying for a room he was only using half the time.

All he cared about was spending as much time with Leslie as possible.

Working naked in bed with your girlfriend--yes,  _ girlfriend _ \-- was also very awesome.

But there was still the elephant in the room. Not so much them dating in secret. They could pull that off for a few more weeks, but it was the ‘few more weeks’ part they ignored. 

They knew it was a fact of life going into the relationship all of those months ago, that his job had him moving around all over the state, but now that he had been with her in Pawnee for so long, it was going to damn near impossible to leave.

Leslie was sitting beside him on her laptop when she suddenly jerked up and reached out to grab his arm. “Oh my God!”

“What? You okay?”

She flipped the screen to face him and pointed. “I just got an email saying that the State wants to present the Parks department with a commendation for reopening the Harvest Festival. It’s at the Statehouse and everything! Oh, my God this is the greatest day of my life.”

He loved seeing her happy, and he loved that her job, what she did to help her community  _ made _ her happy.

He kissed her. “That’s amazing, babe. Congratulations.”

“Thank you! I can’t wait to tell Ron.”

Ben didn’t think Ron would care all that much, but he didn’t dare try to crush her dream.

“I have to call Ann, too! Oh, and she has to help me pick out an outfit and I have to write an acceptance speech, and do you think I’ll have time to make like a commemorative video to show?”

“Uhm, I don’t think so. I’ve been to a few of these and they usually go pretty quickly.”

Leslie sighed and bit her lip. “Bummer. I already had some really great ideas. Eh, I’ll make one anyway. Just in case.”

He laughed and kissed her bare shoulder.

God, she was so adorable and amazing and a whole bunch of other wonderful adjectives that he couldn’t even think of. That’s how great she was.

He felt something tightening deep in his chest, a feeling that made him want to laugh and cry and kiss her until the world ended.

He was falling in love with her.

“What are you thinking about staring off into space all dreamily?”

Leslie was looking over at him with a teasing smile, and God, he loved her. Those months apart did nothing but strengthen whatever it was they had.

“You,” he said honestly. “How proud I am of you and how happy I am that we’re together. And about how I’m going to congratulate you.”

“Oh, yeah? How’s that?”

He moved her laptop to the nightstand and slid her down the bed as she giggled. 

“How about I just show you?”

~~~~~

“You should go,” she said bursting into his office.

God he was so adorable when he looked confused. “Uhm, but this is my office and--”

“No, not go now. I mean tonight. You should go to Tom’s thing.”

He sighed and slumped into a chair. “Leslie, you know how I feel about--”

“Yes, I do, but this is different, okay? First of all, everyone likes you even if you don’t believe it. Plus, we’re dating now, and even though you’ll eventually have a new assignment, it’s not like you won’t ever be coming back, right? You’ll see them whenever you come visit me. It’s okay to make friends, you know.”

“You’re right. I guess I’m just so used to it being that way that I kind of forgot that it’s not over for me here once I go to a new assignment. As long as you’re here, Pawnee will be a second home to me, I guess.”

Leslie really wanted to jump his bones the second he said that, but she admired herself for her restraint. Maybe  _ she _ should get a plaque, too….

“See? So you should go. It’ll be fun. Give you something to do when I’m in Indianapolis.”

“Yeah, okay, I’ll go.”

“Yay! You’ll have fun, trust me. And I already told Tom to come and convince you, so act like you didn’t see it coming and agree, okay?”

“Okay, but as long as you promise we can have some more fun once you get back. You can show me your award and everything.”

“Deal. Now go so I can get ready for the ceremony.”

“Again, this is my office.”

“Oh, right. Bye. Have fun.”

He just smiled and she felt her insides turn into a puddle of goo. 

She wanted him to feel comfortable here, to fit in. She was serious about dating him, and maybe, some day, he’d move here, too.

Whoa, maybe that’s moving things a little too fast. They had just started dating again. Too soon to think about moving and ridiculously long term plans...right?

Leslie wasn’t sure, but she did know that the thought of Ben leaving made her sick and she wanted him here with her forever.

~~~~~

God, Tom’s cologne was seriously putrid, and he must be in pretty bad shape if Leslie was rubbing his back not caring who else was around.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, yeah,” he panted. “I’m good.” He waved her off, but she still hovered.

“Well, I gotta run,” Donna said beside them. “I’m glad you came out, Ben. You should do it more often.”

“Seeeee, I told you,” Leslie said once Donna got into her Benz. “They like you. And you had a good time.”

“I did. Now, mind telling me why you’re back here when your ceremony is tomorrow?”

“Well, you know the whole Ann and Chris thing. Ann thought Chris was cheating on her so she drove up there and she found out and yeah...I wanted to drive her home and make sure she’s okay.”

Seriously? How was she such a caring and good person? She wanted that commendation more than anything, but she was willing to give it up for her friend.

“That was really nice of you.”

Leslie just shrugged, and she followed him to his car. “She’s my best friend and she needed me. Ron will be there to receive it so that’s all that matters. I just feel so bad, you know? She really liked Chris and now with us getting together just as they broke up...I don’t know, it’s weird.”

“Yeah, but Ann’s tough. She’ll be fine.”

“I know. You’re right.”

“You wanna head back to your place? Oh, unless you want to go back with Ann.”

Leslie shook her head. “No, it’s fine. Ann already went home. She said she just needed some time alone to process everything. And since Ron drove me up and I drove Ann’s car back, you can totally drive me home and it won’t look weird.”

He unlocked the doors and she hopped in.

“That’s good because--”

“You won’t ever have your mom call to break up with me, right?”

Oh, well, that was definitely  _ not _ expected. “Uhm, what?”

“And if I broke my kneecap you wouldn’t just leave me there?”

“Leslie, what on earth are you talking about?”

“To make Ann feel better I was telling her about some of the terrible ways that guys have broken up with me and it got me thinking.”

His hand stopped just as he was about to start the car. “Wait, those have actually happened to you?”

“Yes, and it took me a long time to be able to share a shower with someone again, so--”

Ben turned to her and grabbed her hands. “Listen, Leslie, I don’t plan on breaking up with you. And I would never,  _ ever _ do it anyway like that. But I’m not going to ever so it’s fine.”

Seriously? How could anyone be so heartless to begin with, let alone to  _ Leslie _ . He had the sudden urge to hunt down each and every one of those assholes and punch them in their stupid faces. 

“Really? Like you’re not going to invite me to a picnic that wasn’t meant for me? You don’t know anyone named Rebecca, do you?”

“Wha-wait? Seriously? I can’t believe this. No, I would never do that. We’ve already gone on a picnic, remember? And that was 100% all for you. We can go on another one if you want. A thousand picnics and I won’t break up with you. And I definitely won’t have my Mother call you or leave you alone if you’re injured.”  He leaned across the center console and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. “When we get back to your place, I will do the exact opposite of break up with you in the shower.”

She giggled and threaded her fingers with his across the center console. “Then hurry up and get me home so my boyfriend can  _ not _ break up with me in the shower.”

Ben smiled and brought her hand to his lips before starting the engine.


	18. Harvest Festival

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're getting close to the end. Just two more chapters after this. Thank you so much for sticking with me!!

Ben was used to waking up without Leslie next to him. Of course there were mornings when he wanted nothing more than to roll over and cuddle, and while he didn’t quite understand how a person could run on that little sleep, he respected her early wakeup times.

But today the smell of coffee or soft kisses from a fully dressed Leslie didn’t wake him up. No, at 5:34 AM, a scream from Leslie’s office next door did that instead. In retrospect, he’s sure it was a funny sight, him scrambling out of the bed and running half asleep to the next room without a stitch of clothing only to find his girlfriend very much safe and sound at her computer.

“Wha’ happened? Are you okay? I heard screaming.”

“Oh, babe, I’m sorry. I just got some really good news and I got really excited. That was a good scream, not a bad one.”

His heart rate eventually slowed, and he started to sway a little as the rush of adrenaline faded. “Uhm, okay, good. What was it that got you so excited?”

“Nope,” Leslie said with a smile as she stood up. “It’s a surprise. Stop by the Parks office later tomorrow and you’ll find out. This is going to be the biggest thing for Harvest Festival. It might actually be the greatest thing of my life ever.”

She was giggly and so happy he couldn’t help but smile with her. “That sounds pretty awesome. Are you suuuure you don’t want to tell me?”

“I told you. It’s a surprise. Just be prepared for the greatest thing you’ve ever seen.” She walked up to him and pecked his lips. “And I’m sorry that I scared you, but not sorry enough to regret watching you run in here naked.”

“Oh, right. I’m not wearing pants, am I?”

Another cackle. “Nope. And while it was quite the entrance you made, I’m equally looking forward to watching you walk away.”

He went back to the room to find some boxers, but made sure Leslie got quite a show in the meantime.

~~~~~

Leslie didn’t think she’d ever been this excited in her entire life. Standing here at the fairgrounds while her vision became a reality was something beyond words.

All of those weeks of pain and late nights and planning and stress were all paying off.

Everyone had gone home by now, preparing themselves for the final prep day tomorrow, but Leslie couldn’t bring herself to leave just yet.

She should. It was well past dark and there was nothing more she could really do here by herself, but something was keeping her here. It was like she was afraid this was all a dream, and leaving would make it all disappear.

“Hey,” a soft voice said from behind her, and made her jump.

“Oh, my God, Ben, you scared me.”

He wrapped his arms around her from behind and rested his chin on her shoulder. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to. I called your name a few times, but I guess you were just lost in thought.”

“Yeah, sorry about that. I guess I’m still in awe that this is even happening.” 

“All the hard work payed off.”

“Mmhmm.” Leslie sighed and leaned her head against Ben’s. “What are you doing here so late, anyway?”

“I just finished up verifying all of the inspections on the rides and then figured I’d come looking for you. I didn’t think you’d leave voluntarily, so I was prepared to carry you back to your car if you got stubborn.”

She turned around to press her face against his chest. “You’re silly. I’m gonna come quietly.”

“Good. But I do have one more stop to make before we go.”

Leslie looked up at him, confused, but Ben just smiled and laced his fingers with hers and pulled.

He stopped them at the base of the Ferris Wheel, still lit up, and nodded to the operator. “Everything all set?” Ben asked the man.

“Yup, it’s all yours.”

The next thing Leslie knew, she was being led into one of the passenger cars. “What’s going on?”

“It’s amazing what a few well placed dollars can get you. I just paid the guy to stay a little later.”

She didn’t know what to say, watching as they made their way slowly to the top and stopped.

“I know you’re going to be even more busy than ever after today, and I wanted to give you the best view of what you’ve created.”

And it was amazing. The lights were still on and the corn maze was illuminated by the moon. It was honestly the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. 

She snuggled into Ben’s side when he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and blinked back tears. 

“Thank you. And I wouldn’t have been able to put any of this together without my team. Or you.”

He didn’t answer, just pressed a kiss into her hair and held her even tighter.

And if she could, Leslie would freeze this moment and live in it forever. With her greatest accomplishment for her town before her and the man that she loved at her side.

Yeah, she loved him. In the craziness that surrounded their relationship, she didn’t really have the time to think about it, but right now, at that moment, she knew without a shadow of a doubt. 

She tilted her head up, and after a few seconds, he looked down at her with a small smile. “What?”

She shook her head. “Nothing. I’m just so happy that you’re here with me. I wouldn’t want to share this moment with anyone else.”

He tasted sweet, like the cotton candy he was probably eating earlier as they set up some of the machines. Her insides clenched when the thought invaded her head that they might not have many more moments like this before he has to go away again.

But until then, she wanted to cherish every single second.

~~~~~

Ben sat in his bed at the motel nursing his third beer...or was it his fourth?

He wasn’t sure and frankly didn’t care because he was trying to get himself as drunk as possible. Whether it was to forget about being Leslie’s curse or for leaving her to handle everything on her own didn’t matter either, because however you look at it, he was an asshole that couldn’t do anything right. 

First Ice Town and then nearly losing Leslie forever because of some stupid rule, nearly ruining all of their media interviews, and now this. She’d probably have been better off if she never met him.

He was about to crack open another bottle when there was a pounding on his door, and he didn’t have to guess who it was.

“Ben! I know you’re there. Let me in.”

He really wanted to avoid her, but he should have known better than to think she wouldn’t track him down. Not after everything that happened today.

“Leslie, you shouldn’t be here,” he said as he opened the door, but she just brushed right past him.

“What the hell was that? You talk some nonsense about a curse and then just leave me? Leave me to handle everything on my own? I thought we were a team.”

“We are, but for the good of the team I left. I was only bringing bad luck with me. You could do better without me.”

Leslie scrunched her face and folded her arms. “That’s not true. Okay, it’s a little true. We were able to figure everything out, but that’s not the point. The point is that you're wrong, and even though I was able to fix everything, it would have been a lot better if you were there to help me. Look, I get that you think this is all your fault, but that doesn’t give you the right to just abandon people. All you’re doing is helping yourself and avoiding your problems, and that’s not fair to me.”

Ben  _ really _ felt like an asshole now. He sat down on his bed and put his head in his hands.

“You’re right. I know you’re right and I’m sorry. It’s just my first instinct. Things get better once I leave. That’s how it works.”

“Maybe that’s how it was before, but it’s not that way now. My life is better because you’re in it. My town is going to be better because you came here and helped us. This Harvest Festival happened because of your help. And if we’re going to make this relationship work, you can’t just run away whenever things get hard.” She sniffed and he could see tears forming in her eyes. “And you’re going to be leaving soon for real and I don’t want to have to constantly worry that you’re going to just keep running away from problems and go off to a new town.”

Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. He hadn’t even thought of that. Jesus Christ what kind of inconsiderate jerk was he?

He stood up and pulled Leslie into his arms. “Shh, it’s okay. I’m so sorry. I didn’t even think. I was just so worried about ruining everything you worked so hard for. I won’t do it ever again. I promise.”

“You better not,” she said, her voice muffled from being pressed against his shirt. “We’re gonna have to try extra hard to make this long distance thing work, and I can’t have you pulling stuff like this. You don’t get to do something just because you think it’s best for me without us talking about it. Deal?”

“Deal.” He tucked a finger under her chin and kisses her softly. “And I am really sorry.”

“I know. So you’ll come tomorrow, right?”

“Of course. Maybe a little later after all the craziness settles down and I can sneak in without reporters trying to snuff me out. But I’ll be there. We’ve worked too hard for this. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

Leslie smiled up at him and seriously, for the millionth time he wondered how someone like her could be with someone like him. But he wasn’t about to question it.

She yawned and he tugged her onto his bed. 

“You, my dear, are exhausted.”

She yawned again. “Saving Harvest Festivals is tiring work.”

“Well, everything is perfectly fine now and you deserve a little break.”

“Okay, but just a quick nap.”

He kissed her cheek and spooned her from behind. “Okay, just a nap.”

Leslie was gone by the time he woke up, but the little note on his pillow with a hastily drawn kiss monster was a decent enough substitute. 

~~~~~

“Ben, you just missed it. He whinnied!”

“Oh, yeah, no I totally heard that. It was great.”

Leslie turned back to the pen and could honestly say that this was probably the greatest moment of her life. Li’l Sebastian was mere feet away from her, and her boyfriend  _ finally _ got what made him such a special mini horse. 

And Ben in that shirt was probably the hottest thing she’d ever seen. 

“Oh, uhm, Ben?” she said once he was back at her side. “There’s, uh, something I need to talk to you about. An emergency. Over by the corn maze. And we have to hurry.”

She grabbed what she assumed was the most platonic part of his arm and pulled him across the fairgrounds until they were in the most secluded section on the other side of the maze.

“Okay, so what’s the emergen--”

His mouth was adorable but he needed to stop talking and make out with her, so that’s what she did. She could taste the corndog and pop that he for lunch, and did she mention that his t-shirt was the most amazing thing he’s ever worn?

“Me needing to jump your bones is the emergency. I think if we make it quick, we’ll be back before anyone notices we’re gone.”

Her hands were already on his belt buckle when he stopped her.

“Whoa, Leslie, it’s not like I wouldn’t love to do that, but I don’t think you’re thinking clearly. It’s the middle of the day and there are children in a maze just on the other side of that wall of corn. We could very easily get caught.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” she sighed. “Maybe one of our cars. Oh! I can have a tent evacuated and-”

“Again, probably not a good idea.”

“But you’re just so damn hot right now.” She knew that she was whining like a child, but she didn’t care. She was high on Harvest Festival goodness and Lil’ Sebastian, and she wanted to fuck her amazingly sexy boyfriend. Was that such a crime? 

“Why thank you. You’re pretty sexy yourself, but we have to have some self control. I promise that I’ll make it up to you tonight.”

“God, I love you,” she breathed before she could stop herself, and she froze. Shit. “Uhm, I mean this. I love this. And the festival and the maze and your penis and--”

“Hey,” he said, smiling and leaning down to rub her nose with his. “I love you, too.”

Oh.

“You do?”

“Yes, you silly goose. I just wasn’t sure if you were ready to hear me say it. But I mean what better time and place than now, right? Just when you think that the Harvest Festival couldn’t get any more special.”

“Okay, if you were trying to convince me that having sex right now is a bad idea, you’re failing miserably.”

“Yeah, I know. But think of how awesome it will be later.” He kissed her again, and tugged her back towards the tents.  “Now, come on, we’ve got a Harvest Festival to run.”

God, she loved him so much.


	19. Camping

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for sticking with this story (and sorry for the delayed update). There's only one more chapter to go after this, and I hope you enjoy it!

Ben knew it was a success after the first day.

He didn’t need the official numbers, didn’t need to add totals to his master spreadsheet to see where they were. He just knew.

She saved her department, and maybe the town right along with it.

And that night when she looked at him with worried eyes, her lip caught between her teeth, all he had to do was smile.

He was ready this time to catch her when she jumped into his arms, her laugh music to his ears. He’d give anything to always make her this happy. 

“I can’t believe it,” she said, her whole body shaking.

“I can.”

She pulled back to look into his eyes. “Thank you. For everything. All of this. Thank you.”

_ I’d do anything for you _ . 

“Of course. I’m just glad I didn’t ruin everything.”

She rolled her eyes and pinched his arm. “You stop it. Let’s just both bask in our success, okay?”

He wanted to. And he was happy. This meant that Leslie and her department would be okay after he left.

_ After he left. _

Leslie tugged on his hand, like she knew what he was thinking, and lead him upstairs. 

“I recall you mentioning something about awesome sex earlier today. Now that we know everything worked out even better than we planned, I think it’ll be even more amazing.”

Ben did his best to not think about the future, to not wonder where he was going to be sent or how often he’d be able to have this with her again. 

He just reveled in the feel of her skin and the way that she tasted, committing it all to his memory. 

And he told her he loved her like he might never get the opportunity again.

~~~~~

It was hard to restrain himself whenever he was with her. They almost gave themselves away with their handshake on the first day of the festival --which they totally practiced and it looked amazing-- not to mention the almost naked rendezvous behind the corn maze.

Instead, he settled for quick looks across the fairgrounds or a few stolen kisses behind tents.

On the last night, he stood by her side as the fireworks shot off across the field, his fingers brushing against the inside of her wrist when he was sure no one was looking. 

She was beautiful, looking up as the sky exploded in bursts of color, her eyes wide in amazement. 

He resisted the urge to wipe away lone tear that leaked out of the corner of her eye.

“You okay?”

“Yeah,” she nodded, “I just can’t believe it’s over.”

“For now. But now that everyone knows what a success it was, I’m pretty sure you’ll be doing this every year from now on.”

“But you won’t be here.”

He almost didn’t hear her over the loud booming from the fireworks, and he almost wished he hadn’t. Up until now, he had done such a good job pretending that aspect of their relationship didn’t exist.

“Not for the whole thing, but that doesn’t mean I can’t still come. I’ll make sure to schedule a vacation for this week next year. I have like six weeks saved up. I never had a reason to use them until now. Plus, I’ll still help you in any way that I can.”

“You’d do that?”

“Of course. This project was mine, too, remember? I won’t be able to let it go that easily.”

The final explosions were almost deafening.  “I don’t want you to go.”

He didn’t either, but he stayed quiet.

~~~~~

That night, Leslie had clung to him tighter than she ever had before. She mumbled in her sleep, and he pretended not to hear her begging for him to stay.

~~~~~

“Well, today was...interesting,” Ben told her from his side of the bed.

She loved that, seeing him in her home, in her bed, in  _ his _ spot. It’s like he belonged there.

“Yeah. And oddly enough, that is not the weirdest way in which I’ve been groped.”

“That upsets me.”

“It’s fine,” she waved him off before crawling in beside him. “I’m just glad Paul’s okay. Are you coming on the camping trip with us?”

“Oh, I don’t know, Leslie. I’m not really much of a camper--”

“No,” she whined and stuck out her bottom lip. “You have to come. It’ll be fun. Please, I want you there to help brainstorm ideas with us. I even have an extra sleeping bag that you can borrow.”

He turned over to kiss her neck. “We could always share one.”

“That would be a fantastic idea if we weren’t, you know, trying to keep this whole thing a secret.”

“Hmm, true. Maybe I can just sneak into your tent in the middle of the night.”

“Ben, be serious,” she said, nudging his mouth away from her neck. “This is a work trip where we will be doing some serious idea and project development. This next project is really important and it has to be perfect.”

She didn’t realize her voice was getting louder and louder with panic until he started rubbing her back. “Hey, it’s okay. I’m sorry. I get it. It’s very important to you. And of course I’ll go. It sounds fun. I always love seeing you in action. I’m excited for your next big idea.”

Yeah, her next big idea. The big, super huge, ridiculously important idea that could make or break her career.

The big idea she didn’t have.

“Uh, yeah, It'll be great. Have you heard anything new about who’s replacing Paul?” she asked, changing the subject.

“Well, Chris called me not too long ago and said he’d been asked to take over as City Manager. He should be here in the morning.”

“Oh,” Leslie said, genuinely surprised. “So he’s staying here indefinitely? What about your work? Are you just going to be on your own again?”

Ben shrugged. “I would guess so. Maybe my boss knows that I’ve mellowed out a lot recently thanks to a certain someone.”

Bless his heart, he was trying to lighten the mood, but it wasn’t working. Ben was leaving while Chris got to stay behind. It wasn’t fair.

“And you still haven’t heard back yet when you leave again?”

“Nope. I’m trying to take my time in filing the paperwork and everything, but they know the Harvest Festival is over. It shouldn’t be long.” He pulled her back to him. “But I don’t want to talk about that right now, okay? I’m more concerned about the fact that everyone else got to play with your boobs today except for me, and that’s just not fair.”

She tried to muster a smile, but fell short.

“Hey,” he said softly, his thumb stroking her jaw. “Everything will be okay. I promise. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

_ Everything will be okay _ . 

It rang in her head for the rest of the night, but she couldn’t help but think that Ben didn’t seem too convinced of it either.

~~~~~

No big deal. Her career was just about to end and her department was going to crumble to the ground because she couldn’t come up with a single idea, and on top of everything else, her boyfriend who she loved was going to be leaving soon to travel God only knows where.

He’d probably go to some stupid town and meet a gorgeous brunette that has more than one super amazing idea, and he’ll fall in love with her and marry her and have cute little brown haired babies with even more great ideas.

And Leslie would be left with nothing.

She hated this. She hated feeling so useless and worthless. No one on her team could think of something they could do, and not even a pep talk with the beautiful Ann Perkins eased her mind.

Ben. She needed Ben. She needed him to talk her down and tell her that it’s not as important as she’s making it out to be. 

He’s always been more level-headed about these kinds of things. All he had to do was tell her that Chris wasn’t as serious about this as she first thought, and she’d be fine.

“Hey, you wanna go for a walk?” 

That’s a totally platonic, normal thing to say to your male coworker without arousing suspicion right? No one would know that she was about to drag him into the woods for a much needed pep talk/makeout session.

He took her hand as soon as they were out of view from the campground and kissed her knuckles while she led them to one of her favorite spots.

The view was fantastic and she could always think there. Maybe adding Ben to the mix would not only calm her down but help her come up with something. 

“Wow,” he said once they reached the clearing, “the sky is really beautiful.”

“Yeah, it’s pollution from the Sweetums Factory. It’s gorgeous, but is it worth the asthma?”

“No,” he said in disbelief before grabbing her other hand. “But I know you didn’t bring me here to talk about the view. Something’s bothering you.”

She sighed. He knew her too well sometimes. “It’s just, this new project idea....I’m probably making more out of it than I need to, right?”

“No, not at all. It’s a huge opportunity for you. Everyone got to see how amazing you are with the Harvest Festival and now’s your chance to seal the deal. It’s the chance for another big idea that you’ve always talked about.”

Damn, so he was telling her the exact opposite of what she needed to hear. Great.

“But what if the festival was the high point for me? What if I never do anything better than that?”

He kissed her hand again. “That’s where you’re wrong. You’re Leslie Knope. This is what you do.”

“So, what, if I don’t keep thinking of big ideas, I’m not myself anymore?” Perfect, now if she failed, she wouldn’t be the person Ben fell in love with. 

“No, not at all.” He pulled her against his chest and she wrapped her arms around his waist. “It’s just that I know you. You work harder than anyone that I know, and you always do what needs to get done. You’re my little energizer bunny of city government. You don’t stop until you get the job done.”

Leslie just nodded and bit her lip. She was going to be sick.

“Hey, are you really okay?” he asked her after she stayed quiet. “You look like something's bothering you. If you’re having some issues with ideas--”

“No,” she jumped in, “it’s not that at all. I have a thousand ideas. A million ideas. I’m just, you know, not sure which one is going to be the biggest and the flashiest that Chris will like the most. Deciding these things is hard, you know. I just want to make sure I make the right choice.”

“Okay,” Ben said slowly, and she honestly didn’t think he believed her, but thankfully didn’t push it. “Well, you know that you can come to me with anything, right?”

“Yeah, I know. But I don’t wanna talk about this anymore. We have to walk back soon, and I want to hardcore makeout with your face for at least the next ten minutes.”

It was more like fifteen minutes, but no one seemed to care that they were late.

And she was no closer to having a good idea than she was an hour ago.

~~~~~

This must be what hell was like. An idealess,tackily decorated cat prison. 

When the screaming and pounding on the door didn’t work, she hoped she could drive Ron away through annoying personal stories, but he was more resilient than she had given him credit for.

She had finally given up and resigned herself to spending the rest of her life in this room where she’d most likely be clawed to death by fifty cats. Well, at least she’d be off the hook for coming up with an idea.

When the door opened an hour later and Ben walked in, Leslie breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank God. You’ve come to rescue me. How did you get past Ron? Did you knock him out? You didn’t kill him, did you?”

“What? No, of course not. I just told him that he could go get some rest and I’ll watch the door for a little while.”

“You’re a sexy genius. Perfect, now I can escape and--”

“Nope, you’re not going anywhere.”

“You’re kidding me, right? My own boyfriend is forcing me to stay locked up in a room against my will? Doesn’t that violate like a million different laws?”

“Probably, but Ron was right. You have been working non-stop and you need to rest. We’re only doing this because we love you.”

“This is crazy. I’m not going to stay here and--”

“Why didn’t you tell me that you didn’t have an idea? Why did you blatantly lie to me?”

Oh, right, she totally did that. 

Leslie threw herself back down on the bed. “Because I had to. Because I thought with the pressure on, I’d come up with something.”

“I could have helped--”

“Stop, okay. I know you could have, but I need to be able to do this on my own. You’re not going to be here forever and I have to get used to that.”

“Leslie--”

“And I guess… I guess I just wanted to have one more good idea for you. I just didn’t want you to be disappointed in me.”

“Leslie, I could never be disappointed in you for that. I’m more upset that you lied to me, to all of us.”

“Yeah, well, I’m locked in a room and have to present a big idea I don’t have tomorrow morning and will most likely get fired and ruin everything for everybody, so I guess my punishment is fitting the crime.”

Ben sighed when he sat down next to her. “None of that is going to happen. You just need to relax for once. Maybe that’s when an idea will come. When you least expect it.”

“How can any of you expect me to rest right now? I can’t just turn my brain off like that. I can’t--” She stopped when Ben started pulling down the zipper of her hoodie. “What are you doing?”

“I’m going to help you relax.”

She was frozen in her spot while Ben threw her jacket across the room, then her top. She didn’t stop him when he pushed her onto her back to pull down her pants or kissed his way back up her body.

When his mouth was on her breasts, she forgot all about the fifty cats in the room that were most likely watching.  When he tossed her underwear over his shoulder and touched his tongue to her, when he devoured her until her body exploded, she could barely remember who Chris was, let alone that she had a meeting with him in the morning.

All she focused on was him, the way he looked hovering over her covered in a fine layer of sweat, the feeling of him inside of her, the way his voice sounded as he told her he loved her over and over again just before he came.

“You’re sneaky,” she said when she finally caught her breath. “You used sex to distract me and tire me out.”

He rolled over and kissed her shoulder. “I did and I regret nothing. Looks like it worked.”

She rolled her eyes at him mid-yawn. “How do you know that I wasn’t planning this from the beginning to seduce  _ you _ and then sneak out.”

“Because you’re not that sneaky. Just rest, okay? Everything will be okay in the morning. I promise.”

“If I don’t come up with an idea, can you help me fake my own death?”

“How about I come up with a really good excuse to reschedule instead.”

“See, I knew there were reasons I love you.”

He laughed and kissed her. “Just get some sleep, okay?”

“ ‘Kay. Night.” Her eyes were already closed.

Ben was gone when she woke up seven hours later just bursting with ideas. 

~~~~~

She was still a little out of it when Ben stopped by her office and practically forced her to go home and shower and change. He didn’t trust her to drive, so he totally platonically offered to give her a ride.

The hot water felt great as it pounded against her back, washing away the smell and feel of the outdoors. She almost understood why everyone else slept so much, but didn’t plan on making it a habit anytime soon. 

But everything was okay now. She had her ideas and she had her team, and together, there wasn’t anything they couldn’t do.

And to top it all off, her amazing boyfriend was proud of her, loved her, and was waiting in her living room to drive her back to work once she was ready.

At least, he  _ was  _ in the living room.

The door to the bathroom opened and after a few seconds the curtain pulled back and a very sexy, very naked Ben joined her.

“Figured I could use another shower. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to get the smell of cats and moth balls off of me.”

She laughed as she stepped forward to wrap her arms around Ben’s waist and pull him under the spray.

“That was probably the worst place ever. I’ll grant you that. But we have some good memories there.”

“Hmmm, yeah. And I’m more than a little proud that my idea worked.”

“See, I’m not the only idea machine in this relationship. And I never did thank you for helping me.”

Ben grabbed Leslie’s sponge and started washing her back. “Helping, huh? Is that what they’re calling it now?”

“Oh, shut up and focus on making sure you don’t miss a spot.”

“Yes, ma’am. And any time you need me to “help”, I’ll gladly be at your service.”

Leslie kept her back turned and smiled sadly. He wouldn’t be. Not after he leaves for his next assignment, but it’s a nice thought. 

“Hey,” she said turning around so he could work on the front of her body, “I know we have to get back soon, but I think I have another problem. I don’t know what to get for lunch today, and I was thinking maybe you could help me come up with another idea. I hear you’re pretty good at it.”

She slid her hand down his chest with a smile, going torturously slow to her final destination between his legs.

And he was more than eager to offer his assistance. 

~~~~~

“I just don’t know why you have to do it there, that’s all.”

“Leslie, I explained this already. I have a lot of last minute paperwork to get done and if I go over to your place, I know I won’t do it.”

Leslie sighed into the phone and Ben couldn’t help but laugh. 

“Fine. Your loss. Just remember when you’re sleeping in your lumpy motel mattress that you could be here with me.”

“Sure, just continue to torture me. It’s just for tonight, I promise.”

“Okay, but if you change your mind, you know where to find me.”

“I sure do. I gotta go. Love you.”

“Love you, too.”

Ben smiled and shook his head as he hung up the phone. He’d much rather be with Leslie, but he couldn’t get away with sleeping for three hours like she could and finishing all he had to do.

Ben powered on his laptop and froze when he saw an email from his boss.

It was finally happening. He was being sent away. 

One week. That’s all he had left. One week.

He had one week to figure out what the hell he was going to do.


	20. Fancy Party/Soulmates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leslie finds out that Ben hasn't told her about his new assignment and spirals, focusing on making sure April and Andy don't ruin their lives. 
> 
> Set during April and Andy's Fancy Party and coming full circle into the start of Soulmates.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am SO sorry that it's taken over a month for this chapter. But it's finally over! Thank you so much to everyone that has stuck with this story and given me such great feedback. You ROCK! Please enjoy this last chapter as everything comes full circle.

Leslie was laying on her side staring at him.

It wasn’t the first time she indulged in this pastime in the early hours of the morning, but today was different. Today she was looking at him like it was her last chance.

She tried memorizing the angles and planes of his face, the way his lips pouted in his sleep, the hair that stuck up in all directions. She remembered the countless kisses those lips had given her that left her breathless, remembered how much his face changed every time he smiled at her, remembered the sound of his tiny, contented sigh whenever she’d run her hands through his hair.

These were all of the little things she was afraid she’d taken for granted up until now, the little things she was afraid she’d never have again.

One week.

That’s how long she had left with him. Maybe less. 

Leslie wasn’t supposed to know this yet, of course, but how was it her fault that Ben fell asleep with his laptop on in  _ her _ bed? She was just moving it off of him when she saw the email on the screen.

It wasn’t her fault, but that didn’t change the fact that she knew, or the fact that he hadn’t told her.

That’s what ate at her the most. He knew, had known for well over a day that he was leaving, but didn’t say anything. Why?

It wasn’t close either. No, that would have been too much to hope for. He was being sent to a little podunk town nearly four hours away. 

And he hadn’t told her.

So maybe this was the last chance she had with him before he did something like break up with her, tell her the distance was too much and it just wouldn’t work.

But even if they did stay together, it wouldn’t be like this. She wouldn’t fall asleep with his arm heavy on her waist or feel his drowsy kisses when she slipped from the bed every morning. 

Long distance was how their relationship started, but Leslie wasn’t sure if she could go back to it again. Not after having him with her for so long.

She took that for granted. She knew that. It was so easy to push away every thought of him leaving and just live for the moment, pretend that nothing was going to ever take him away from her again.

It was naive and childish, but it was all she could do to keep herself sane. 

What made it even harder was that she had never felt anything like this before. When Dave left, she was sad, but she let him go because she didn’t love him. Not like she loved Ben.

The clock at her bedside told her that she’d been watching him for nearly an hour. She should get up and get a head start on some work since she knew there was no sleeping after the news she had found out, but none of it was strong enough to motivate her to move. 

Ben scrunched his nose in his sleep and Leslie smiled. She wondered what he was dreaming about, what was going on in his mind. God, she’d give anything to know what he was thinking and prepare herself for whatever he was going to say to her when he eventually broke the news.

Because she definitely wasn’t ready for that at all. She planned on being long gone before he woke up and was already formulating the best ways to not see him all day.

The crazy part was that she was angry at him for not telling her, but she was going to avoid him as much as possible so he  _ couldn’t _ tell her. Not yet, anyway. 

She needed to come up with a plan first. A perfect plan that will make it impossible for Ben to want to even think about breaking up with her. 

But right now she didn’t have a plan, nothing useful, anyway. All she had was doubt and worry and a heart that was too afraid of breaking. 

Ben rolled over and reached for her in his now barely conscious state. “Sleep.”

“How’d you know I wasn’t?”

“Felt you watching,” he slurred and it was too adorable. He pulled her close and scratched his morning stubble against her neck.

“Sorry.”

“S’okay. Sleep.”

“I can’t. I, uh, I gotta get up soon and do some work. I have an early meeting. I’ll probably be gone before you wake up.”

“No, wake me up before you go go,” he said and laughed at himself, his eyes still never once opening. 

“Don’t worry about it. It’s okay. You sleep.”

He made a face that told her he wasn’t too keen on the idea but was losing the steam to argue. “I’ll come find you later.”

Not if she had anything to say about it. 

“Okay.”

“Love you.”

His breathing evened out before she had a chance to reply, and she slipped from the bed with a sad smile. 

She loved him, too, but sometimes that wasn’t enough.

~~~~~

Leslie stared down at the invitation in her hands.

She loved Andy and April, and she loved that they loved each other, but she envied them a little bit, too. They could just be together without having to worry. They didn’t have to keep how they felt about each other a secret, they didn’t have to worry about making things work long distance. April didn’t have to fear that Andy would move far away and meet some other amazing woman and break up with her over Skype. Or worse, Andy keeping the fact that he was leaving soon a secret so he could break up with April and never ever see her again.

Okay, so Leslie was spiralling a little bit, but she couldn’t help it. She hadn’t come up with a single good plan. All she had were about fifty terrible scenarios that ended with Ben breaking up with her, half of which featured him leaving her for some really hot woman named Rebecca.

She hated Rebecca.

But she was going to the fancy dinner party to celebrate April and Andy’s love and maybe Ben would go and see how amazing it is and totally  _ not _ break up with her. Yeah, that’s it. 

She was walking down the hall towards his office when she saw Ben with an invitation in his hand.

“Hey, you’re going tonight, right?”

He smiled at her and her insides flipped. How on earth was she going to be able to function without seeing that face everyday?

“Yup, and they wanted me to bring  _ Avatar _ , fifty pairs of 3-D glasses, and a 3-D capable television.”

Leslie just shook her head with a chuckle. “Well, good. I was just on my way to your office to ask if you were coming--with all of those things.”

“Yeah? Well, I was about to come to your office to talk to you.”

Oh, shit.

“Oh, y-you were?”

“Yeah, and it’s kind of a big deal. You think maybe we could talk in private for a bit?”

Oh, no. No, no, no, no. Talking in private could only mean something really good or really bad. She wasn’t ready yet to deal with the possibility of it being bad. This would be the perfect place to break up with her. City Hall, where he knew she couldn’t make a scene.

God, she couldn’t believe that Ben would hypothetically break up with her in the most sacred of places. Heartless bastard.

“Oh, uh you know what, I can’t. Not right now. I’ve got--a thing.”

“A thing?”

“Yeah, a super important thing that I can’t miss. Like  _ crazy _ important.”

“Well, do you have just a few minutes? My thing is kind of important, too, and--”

Leslie looked at her bare wrist. “Wow, I really don’t have the time. Maybe later? I’m swamped all day so maybe sometime after April and Andy’s party?”

“But Leslie it’s really--”

She pulled her phone out of her pocket and looked at the blank display. “Oh, wow, Ben, sorry but this is an important call. I really have to take it. Yes, hello? Yes, I’m on my way. Be there in five minutes.”

Ben pursed his lips and folded his arms, and Leslie could feel his gaze on her as she quickly walked away. 

Yeah, he was pissed, but she couldn’t do this right now. She still needed time to process everything and come up with a battle plan to convince him that breaking up was the absolute  _ worst _ idea possible--and to stay away from women named Rebecca.

And she only had eight hours to do it.

~~~~~

This was bad. This was very, very bad.

Leslie was no closer now than she was earlier today when it came to a plan on what to do with Ben, and to top it all off, April and Andy were about to ruin their lives and no one seemed to care. 

But it was insane. They couldn’t just jump into this. They couldn’t  _ get married _ . She and Ben had been together so much longer than they were, and their relationship was on the brink of falling apart. No, relationships need plans and backup plans and backup plans to the backup plans. And even then, something could still break you up. 

So yeah, she might not know what the future would hold for her and Ben, but she’d be damned if she let the same thing happen to Andy and April. 

She knew they loved each other, that wasn’t even a question, but sometimes love just wasn’t enough.

Leslie was frantically searching for  _ someone  _ to help her stop this wedding when she spotted Ben from across the room. She wasn’t ready to talk to him yet, but she had to. He might be the only other person willing to help her stop this.

Plus, he looked like he needed saving from Orin.

“Hey, can I talk to you a minute.”

He turned around with a sigh of relief. “There you are. I’ve been looking for you all day. Look, Leslie, we really need to talk--”

“No time for that right now. I know that you’re leaving and I know that you waited over a day to tell me, and you’re probably going to say that it won’t work long distance or something and break up with me, but we have bigger problems to deal with right now. Andy and April are planning on getting married tonight and we have to stop it. They think that loving one another is enough and it’s not and they’re going to ruin their lives.”

“Wait, what?! I--”

“Attention, everybody,” Andy said, and Leslie groaned. “Madames and...miswahs...If you would do me the obligation of having your honor heretofore in the room doth right over there, uh, hence.”

“What?” Ron asked.

“Big event in that room, fifteen minutes.”

“Oh my god, they’re actually doing this, and if you won’t be any help, I’ll just do it myself.”

Leslie brushed passed Ben and ignored him calling her name.

~~~~~

The time came, and Leslie couldn’t do it. She didn’t yell out in the middle of the ceremony or tackle someone to the ground. She wanted to, though.

But when April came out in her dress the happiest Leslie’s ever seen her, she knew she couldn’t ruin this moment.

Maybe Ron was right. Maybe all you can really do when you love someone is roll the dice. Even Andy seemed like he was speaking right to her.  _ Do what makes you happy. Don’t overthink every little thing. _

That had been her problem from the start. She loved Ben, but the second something unexpected came out of nowhere, she overanalyzed and panicked. She imagined the countless terrible scenarios and let that consume her instead of enjoying what time they had left. 

But she wasn’t going to let that stop her this time. 

Ben spotted her from across the crowded living room and rushed over.

“Leslie, please don’t run away this time. I looked for you after the ceremony and couldn’t find you.”

“Yeah, I talked with Ron a bit outside after the wedding. Look, I’m really sorry for how I’ve been acting today. I saw the email from your boss last night-- _ accidentally-- _ and just panicked. I don’t know why you waited to tell me, but I just want you to know before you say anything else that I love you so much and I know this long distance thing is going to be hard, but we can do it. I kept trying to overthink everything and freaked myself out, but I’m done doing that. I don’t care what it takes. I love you and I want to roll the dice and see where this goes.”

Ben didn’t say anything at first, just stood there smiling. She was thankful he didn’t rush in and tell her “thanks but no thanks, I’m breaking up with you” but she wanted  _ some _ kind of response after spilling her guts.

“Ben, God, say something. You’re making me nervous.”

“You really feel that way?”

“Yes, of course I do.”

He just sighed and shook his head. “You want to know why I waited to tell you? Because I was trying to figure stuff out, too. And when I went looking for you this morning it was to tell you that I’m not going on that assignment.”

Leslie froze. “What do you mean you’re not going?”

“I mean that this morning, Chris called me into his office to make me an offer. He wants to hire me on as Assistant City Manager.”

“D-did you take it?”

Ben pursed his lips and tapped them with his finger. “Hmmm, see I was debating. Do you think there’s a good reason to stay in Pawnee?”

Leslie laughed and resisted the urge to jump into his arms and make out with his face. “You jerk. But what about us? If you're now my boss--”

“I already talked it over with Chris. The only way I’d accept the job was if we didn’t have to hide anymore. He agreed that as long as we cleared everything with HR and I was not allowed to directly oversee any Parks stuff, it wouldn’t be a problem. He’s a sucker for a good love story.”

Leslie forgot how to breathe and felt like she might cry. Or maybe it was too late for that last part.

He was staying in Pawnee for her. After all of her fears and worries, he was leaving behind a job he’s had for a decade to be with her. 

And the best part was that they didn’t have to hide anymore.

Leslie lunged at him, Ben steadying himself with a firm hold on her hips. He tasted like beer and barbeque potato chips, but they were both smiling so much it felt like she was kissing his teeth more than his lips.

She was so caught up in Ben that she didn’t notice everyone around them stop and stare until loud whistles and claps broke out throughout the room. 

“Finally,” Leslie heard Tom say. “I figured you nerds would get together soon enough.”

“What?!” Andy said with a smile into the microphone. “You guys, too? That’s crazy! But yeah, I can totally see it. Oh, do you guys want to get married now, too? I’m sure the justice of the peace lady can do it.”

They both smiled and Ben just shook his head. “I don’t think so, Andy, but thanks for the offer.” Ben looked back at her and smiled. “Not yet.”

Leslie’s heart fluttered.  _ Not yet _ . As in someday. Holy crap.

“Okay, man,” Andy replied. “But let me know if you change your mind. We’d have the same anniversary. How cool would that be?”

But Ben wasn’t paying attention to him anymore. All Leslie could focus on was his soft smile and how intensely he was looking at her. Everyone else in the room faded away. She wasn’t worried about having to explain anything to anyone or embarrassed that she basically jumped her no-longer-secret-boyfriend in a roomful of people attending  _ another _ couple’s wedding. 

Ben was staying, and that’s all that mattered.

“I almost can’t believe this. You’re not leaving and--” She stopped when she noticed Orin now standing only a few feet behind Ben.

“What? Oh, God, Orin’s behind me, isn’t he?”

“Yeah, but it’s okay just keep looking and talking to me and everything will be fine. Don’t panic because he can smell fear”

“Okay. Uhm, hi, how are you?”

God, he couldn’t play it cool to save his life and it was adorable. “I’m amazing thanks to my awesome boyfriend.”

“Yeah, that sounds--”

She pushed Ben past Orin with a quickly shouted “run” and a giggle, Ben reaching back to take her hand as they ran through the house and into the front yard. 

Ben collapsed against one of the trees, pulling Leslie with him. The two were still laughing and trying to catch their breaths. 

“You think we’re safe?” Ben teased.

“For now. God, I honestly don’t know if I’ve ever been happier in my entire life,” Leslie said with a sigh, resting her forehead against Ben’s chest as his arms tightened around her waist.

“To get away from Orin?”

Leslie pinched his side. “You think you’re funny.”

“I  _ know _ I’m funny. And you do, too. That’s one of the reasons that you love me.”

Leslie looked up and tugged on his tie. “One of many, many reasons. I can’t believe this is real. You’re actually staying.”

“I am. And don’t think I totally forgot about that word vomit you had earlier. Did you really think I would break up with you like that? Or at all?”

Crap. She was kind of hoping the joy from the last ten minutes would make him forget about all of that. 

“I don’t know! I mean you didn’t tell me right away and now I know why you didn’t, but at the time I just thought the worst. You know,  _ sometimes _ , I’ve been known to spiral a little bit. I was just so scared of losing you and I didn’t know how to handle it. I wasn’t ready to go back to long distance, and I was afraid maybe you weren’t either but for different reasons.”

Ben pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “I can understand that. I wasn’t ready to go either. And a part of the reason that I didn’t tell you right away was because I was looking into other options, too.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, this job from Chris was like a gift, but I was already planning on telling my boss that this new assignment would probably be my last.” He started playing with her fingers, smiling softly. “That I’d be looking for other opportunities in or around Pawnee. I wanted to have something else to tell you to help soften the blow that I’d be leaving, and then Chris happened and...well, you know the rest.” 

Leslie felt like she couldn’t breathe. “So, you were going to come back no matter what? Quit your job? What were you going to do?”

He shrugged. “I wasn’t sure yet, but I had options. Maybe work for an accounting firm or local government for a nearby town if I had to.”

Now Leslie felt even worse for thinking all of those thoughts. He was  _ always _ going to come back to her. 

“You know I love you and that I want you here, but are you sure about this? I don’t want you to move here for me and then regret it. You put in so much time with the State and--”

“Hey,” he interrupted. “I’m not going to regret this. And I’m not just doing this for you. This is for me, too. I was tired of constantly travelling. I was tired of feeling like I never belonged anywhere. I have that now, with you and Pawnee. The only time in Pawnee that I ever regretted was when we weren’t together. I don’t want to cut budgets anymore. I want to stay here with you and help build something.”

Leslie blinked back tears. “I don’t even know what to say.”

“How about something along the lines of you love me, you’re beyond overjoyed that I’m staying and that you can’t wait to drive up to Indy with me and help me pack up my apartment. Oh, and also why have we been standing out here in Andy’s front yard instead of going back home to celebrate?” 

_ Home _ . Pawnee was his home now. Did that mean he was moving in with her? Was it too soon for that? Was he getting his own place? 

These were all questions that invaded her mind but she pushed them away. They could discuss all of that tomorrow. Right now, she just wanted to enjoy this moment and know that he’d never be leaving her again.

“Those are all excellent things to say. Let’s go back inside and say goodbye to everyone first. Now that we don’t have to hide, I kind of want everyone there to know that we’re going home together.”

“I like how you think. Just protect me from Orin, okay?”

Leslie laughed, going up on her tiptoes to press a kiss to Ben’s lips. “I’ll keep you safe, but let’s do this quickly because I am seconds away from giving in to the temptation to have you right against this tree.”

His eyes widened, and he grabbed her hand and ran back towards the house, Leslie cackling behind him.

She could definitely get used to this.

~~~~~

Has Leslie mentioned lately how much she  _ loved _ working with Ben? 

Granted, he wasn’t able to oversee her department directly, but that didn’t mean they didn’t work or have meetings together. 

And sometimes those meetings were hard to sit through. 

Chris was going on about a city health initiative, and while she already had a million ideas, she couldn’t help but focus on the way Ben’s fingers played with his pen and remember what he did to her with those fingers just last night.

Yeah, it was hard to resist squirming in her seat when he sat there looking so official and important. She was so going to make out with his face later.

When the meeting ended, she started making her way over to Ben when Tom stopped her. 

“Don’t freak out, but Joe from sewage just unhooked your bra with his eyes.”

“What?” She turned around to find Joe staring at her like she was a piece of meat and he was a starving dog. “Oh, hi, Joe,” she said far too politely when he sauntered over to her.

“‘Sup, Knope. Looking good these days.”

Yeah, she was pretty sure her face portrayed just how disgusted she was.

“What do you say?” he continued. “Van’s out back, let’s roll.”

Good Lord, she felt like she needed a shower just from talking to him. “Where’s this coming--” but before she could finish the sentence, she felt a presence behind her and a hand somewhat possessively placed around her waist. 

“Everything okay here, babe?” Ben asked, staring hard at Joe. Oh, so it was going to be one of claiming his territory kind of things. The annoyance she might have felt at being in the middle of a pissing contest was only slightly outweighed by her relief that Ben showed up when he did.

“I was just telling your lady here that she’s been putting out some vibe today that’s been driving me crazy.”

Leslie didn’t even know where to begin to pick out the worst parts of that sentence. Ben just narrowed his eyes.

“Don’t worry, brother,” Joe said stepping back a few paces, “I’m not gonna steal your girl away from you.” He looked back over at Leslie. “But if you’re looking for a good time and ready to leave stringbean behind, come on down to the toilet party. That’s what we call the sewage department.”

Ben’s grip on her waist tightened and she could hear his breathing pick up through his nose. Leslie just wanted to get the hell out of there. 

“Yeah, great, okay. Ben and I have to go now.” She brushed past Joe with Ben close by her side.

“Liking the view,” Joe said, and Leslie had to hold onto Ben’s hand because she just knew he was about to turn around and punch him in the face. 

“Just ignore him,” she said as they walked into the hallway.

“I can’t believe he thinks he can just say that stuff to people.”

“Well, I guess he wasn’t expecting my boyfriend--who just so happens to be his boss-- to come up and basically threaten to fight for my honor.”

“Oh, sorry. I guess I came on a bit too possessive.”

“Yeah, but to be fair, if the roles were reversed, I’d probably do something like that, too. It’s funny, actually. Last year something like this happened and it’s what kind of drove me to try online dating. So in a weird, disgusting way, we owe our relationship to Sewage Joe.”

“While I am very grateful, I never want to think about that ever again.”

“Good call. Subject change. I have a few ideas for that health initiative.”

“Awesome. I can swing by later if you want to go over stuff.”

“I’m pretty swamped today. How about we go out for dinner at JJ’s instead. Then go home and make some idea binders while hardcore cuddling.”

Ben took a step closer and kissed her with a smile. “I like the sound of that. Whoever said that you can’t mix work and play obviously didn’t know us and how awesome we are at it. I’ll talk to you later then, okay?”

“‘Kay. Love you.”

“Love you, too.”

With one more squeeze of his hand, Leslie watched Ben walk away and couldn't help but smile to herself. It felt so wonderful and freeing to finally be able to not have to hide anymore. To be able to kiss Ben in the middle of City Hall and not worry about the repercussions. 

There was no more sneaking around, no more waiting for the other shoe to drop or something bad to happen. They were free and happy and were enjoying every second of it.

And to think how different things were a year ago. She was lonely and down on herself and convinced that only people like Sewage Joe would give her the time of day.

But now she had Ben and things couldn’t be more different. She felt beautiful and loved and appreciated, and things were only going to get better.

He moved here for her, they were making plans that involved a life, a future together.

If only she had known back when she and Ann first made that profile what was going to happen.

She was going to find her soulmate. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again for taking this wild ride with me! You're all wonderful and amazing.


End file.
